Between The Pages
by Lilith Mey
Summary: Lucy Heartfilia has always loved to write, never dreaming she'd be the best selling author of a book series. Coming home from her latest book tour she's torn on how to complete her final work. Just what kind of woman is perfect for Natsu Dragneel? A visit to a friend has her waking up in the world she created and finding herself face to face with the very man frustrating her.
1. Chapter 1

Hi there everyone! So, this is my first attempt at writing for this site. I've always loved to write but sometimes I have trouble getting across what I want to say. I hope you enjoy it and please feel free to give me some constructive criticism. The story is AU as I've changed things around a bit. I really hope you enjoy it!

It is rated M for future situations of both blood and violence as well as Lemon goodness.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. Sadly.

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Chapter 1

 _The dragon whipped his tail around on a loud roar. His every intention to kill the slayer that had come for him. The man dodged the attack a split second before a large spike dug into the ground where he had been standing. This dragon had eluded him for months, destroying small villages and leaving destruction in it's wake. The slayer had finally found the beast, and he meant to put him down. He had no manner of weapons to speak of, like so many other slayers did. No, he was different, trained by a dragon himself; that was why he was sent after this one after all. It was old, strong, and had killed three other slayers sent before him. The slayer drew in a deep breath as he prepared to fight, as he did so he yelled._

 _"Fire Dragon... Roasdoighh;"_

The ringing phone scared the crap out of her. Coming back to reality she looked around her apartment and blinked. The phone rang a second time and her eyes went back to the page she had been writing, then down at her phone. Seeing the name on the display she looked at the clock she winced. She was late, and about to get an earful. With a sigh she picked up the phone and hit the talk button.

"Hi Levy"

"Where are you? You were supposed to be here an hour ago! There are lines of people waiting to see you and they're getting pretty restless. Even the manager of this place is getting mouthy" She sounded a little annoyed. It was directed not only at her but at said manager.

"I'm so sorry Lev, I was working on the new book and I got a little caught up in it all" The blonde haired woman stood up, cradling the phone between her ear and her shoulder as she hit save on her computer and then shut it off. Her slippers made a shuffling noise against the wood floor as she walked back into her bedroom and began rummaging through her drawers for something to wear.

"Well I guess that's something, but you really need to get over here. I know you have a thing about public appearances but this is your hometown. Everyone here is so proud of you for what you've accomplished and they want to see you themselves."

She sighed heavily, "I know, I'm getting dressed now. I'll be there in 15 ok? Tell them I'll pose for as many pictures as they want and sign anything, within reason. That should make up for it."

Levy grumbled a bit but then she conceded. "Fine, but from now on I'm picking you up! Just be glad this is your last stop. After this you can get lost in your work all you want. See you in 15."

The call disconnected and the blonde smiled. She loved her manager, but sometimes she got a little high strung. She pulled a blue blouse and her favourite pair of jeans out of her dresser and slipped them on in place of her tank and shorts. Quickly putting her hair into the side ponytail she loved she headed for the door.

Lucy Heartfilia had always loved to write, had been doing so for as long as she could remember. Of course not all of it had been on the level she was writing now, but that hadn't stopped her from creating her own worlds. As soon as she could she had talked her parents ears off about her imaginary friends and the worlds they came from. Though the first one she remembered was when she was 8, she had written about a little blue cat that hatched from an egg. Her parents had tried to explain that's not where cats came from but she had only shrugged and said. "This one did."

Her parents had been so supportive of her, listening to all her made up and crazy stories. They had bought the writing supplies she needed to get all of that imagination down on the page, encouraged her to enter contests and even sent her to a summer camp for young writers. She knew they had been proud of her, Jude and Layla Heartfilia had been the best parents she could have asked for. She couldn't believe it had been so long since she'd lost them. Both gone from her life before her second book had been published. At least they had seen their daughter achieve her dream.

Hurrying now Lucy walked through her little town. Magnolia, the same name she had given the main village in her books. It was small enough that most people just walked everywhere, but large enough that it had things like movie theatres and big box stores. It wrapped around a large bay and she loved to make sure she spent at least part of her travels through the city along the canal that wove through the streets. Normally she would have taken the time to hop up on one of the stone walls but she was in a hurry, and hurrying down one of those would probably have her taking a swim. She really didn't have time for that. She waved at people she knew as she hurried along, most calling out that they were proud of her or that they were glad she was home. To be honest she was too.

She didn't have a lot of friends, never had, the people she knew in school found her to be a little off putting because she was always buried in a notebook, writing about the latest adventures of a pirate or a princess. She tended to insert them into conversations the people around her were having, they didn't understand that to her they were real. The closest people to her now were, her manager Levy McGarden, and her tarot card reader Cana Alberona.

She arrived at the bookstore with minutes to spare, a little embarrassed by the huge sign displayed outside the doors. "Book signing today with our own Lucy Heartfilia! Best Selling Author of the Dragon Slayer series!" She was proud of her work. Loved the stories and every single person in it, but the praise she got for it had always made her a bit uncomfortable.

Levy met her at the door with a smile. "It's about time! Are you ready? Remember, after this it's over and you can take a break, get back to writing. I hate to ask... But have you figured it out yet?"

Lucy shook her head, "I'm still stuck. I've written four other books and never had a problem, why is this one so hard?"

Levy shrugged, "This one was your pet wasn't it? The one all the others led up to? Maybe now that it's finally here you're just... Not wanting it to end." The blue haired woman grabbed her hand and tugged her inside. "Come on, your fans await."

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3 hours later Lucy was finally done, the signings always drained her. She was glad for her fans, grateful to them for loving the people in her books as much as she did, but so many of them at once was overwhelming. Heading back towards her house she walked at a slower pace this time, even hopping up on the wall and using her arms to balance out so she didn't fall. Just like always, some boaters called out, "Be careful Lucy!" She smiled at them with a wave and continued on.

Her mind was on her latest book, her last book, and she once again wondered what she was going to do. The first four had been fun to write, almost easy. The story and the people flowed like water, but this last one... She didn't know where to go with it. The main character had been in all the other books, the strongest slayer of them all. He helped out his friends when they needed it and provided much needed comic relief. Natsu Dragneel was her favourite creation. Her books were labeled fantasy romance, each story having a hero and heroine that eventually fell in love. Of course they had their issues at first but what couple didn't? The problem with this one was she had the hero... But no heroine. Lucy just couldn't figure out who to place as the opposite to someone who was so strong, at times scary, but also full of energy and childlike humour. It was frustrating to no end.

Stopping in front a windowed store she stared inside. The bright fluorescent tubes proclaimed, "Tarot card reader". She wondered if Cana was home, the open sign was off but that didn't mean she wasn't upstairs in her little apartment above the store. She had first gone to Cana for fun, had always been interested in things like Astrology and fortune telling. The woman had been immensely competent, not like those ones you hear about on TV. Her readings had always come true and Lucy suspected she was the real deal. Stepping up to the door she knocked loudly, calling out, "Cana! You in there?!"

It took a minute but finally a woman appeared from the back of the store. She was tall with brown hair that fell to her waist and wore a blue halter and black capri's . A smile played on the fortune tellers face as she saw who was banging on her door after hours. The locks twisted and the door opened on a groan, the building was old but it had so much character.

"Lucy Heartfilia, somehow I knew I'd see you tonight." Her eyes danced with amusement and it made Lucy smile. She was hinting at premonition, but it was more likely the fact she that whenever Lucy returned home she always managed to find her way to the little shop before the day was through.

"Hi Cana, it's nice to see you again." The older woman stepped back to allow Lucy inside, she loved this place, it was so cozy. The floor was wooden and there were candles set up all around the room as 'ambiance' for those clients who really got into it. Large drapes covered the walls in varying shades of purple and blue, a black one thrown in for contrast. In the middle of the room sat a table and two chairs, a stack of cards in the middle. Those cards brought people joy and excitement, but sometimes pain and sorrow. They walked across the shop and through a wooden door at the back, it was much brighter here and held a staircase leading up to the apartment Cana had.

The apartment was a drastic contrast to downstairs. It was light and modern, the floors were linoleum and well taken care of, the walls a wine red. Her table was classy with a glass top. Cana loved her little apartment and it showed in the cozy way it was set up. The only thing that looked out of place was the tapped keg in the corner, with a few more behind it. She had a drinking problem, but it didn't interfere with her work so Lucy never said anything about it.

On the kitchen counter sat two plates and two glasses, both filled with the dinner Cana had made. Lucy laughed at the sight and the other woman grinned, "I told you I knew you were coming." Each woman grabbed a plate and sat down at the table where Lucy started telling her all about the book tour this year, from the really sweet fans who had drawn her pictures and given her hugs, to the ones who had also drawn pictures... That were a little too graphic for her peace of mind; despite the fact she wrote vivid scenes depicting these very things. Her stories tended to be graphic, in both the fight scenes as well as the ones in the bedroom. She had a feeling it was why her books did so well, she wasn't afraid to write all the gory details.

All in all she was glad to be home, glad to be back where she was comfortable, with friends close by. The topic eventually turned to her latest book and she once again voiced her frustration. "I have no idea who I'm going to pair with him. I know the way I want the story to go, but until I come up with the heroine I can't settle down on any details. I'm basically stuck writing his fight scenes until I figure this out because it's the only part she won't be in." Her voice was laced with frustration and Cana could see a slightly tormented look in her eyes.

She had read all of Lucy's books, found them fascinating, and since she knew the author personally she also knew Lucy was attached to this world like she hadn't been with any other of her writings. It was as if she actually longed to be in the world she had created. Cana had never asked her about it before, because she didn't want to put the woman on the spot, but she did so now.

"You really love this world don't you? I can tell by the way you described even something as small as the meadow outside of town. The people you always wrote about them with such care and familiarity."

Lucy could feel her cheeks heating up at the woman's questions. "I do, this series has been everything I've imagined since I was a child. I just never knew how to get it all onto the page before. I've been imagining these people and their lives, their struggles and triumphs for a very long time. Even the places they live."

Cana looked at her thoughtfully before she asked, "Would you ever want to live there? The Magnolia in your books?" The answer was what she expected. The blonde's face lit up and with a smile she said,

"Oh yes, If it were a real place I'd live there in a heartbeat. Maybe even be friends with the people in my stories. I would never have created a place I didn't love."

The older woman stood up and went to a wooden box in her living room, when she came back she held a little pouch that jingled when she walked. Laying it down on the table she turned back to Lucy, "Sleep with these under your pillow tonight, they'll give you inspiration."

Lucy smiled at her friend and took the pouch, tucking it into her purse. They spent the next few hours laughing about clients Cana had and watching the latest action movie. They both enjoyed picking it apart and laughing at all the ridiculous things that would never happen in real life. When Lucy finally left it was approaching midnight. She waved goodbye to her friend and made her way home.

Dropping her purse by the front door she took out the small pouch, inside it were several keys, a few silver and a few gold. Pulling one out she wondered what magic they held. She had always suspected Cana had real magic and she was curious to see what they would do. She had never gotten a gift from the Tarot reader before and she was excited to find out the secrets they held. Undressing for the night she slipped on a pair of loose pj bottoms and a tank top, taking out her hair she wrapped the tie around her wrist. A habit from childhood since she was always loosing them. Placing the keys under her pillow she laid down, her mind whirling about her latest and last book. Who would she pair with Natsu? What kind of person would be his perfect match? Her eyelids grew heavy and soon she slid into sleep.

A while later she was woken by something prodding at her shoulder. She lived alone so as she came too it was a bit disturbing. The prodding was insistent and when she sat upright and opened her eyes, her jaw dropped open. This was not her bedroom. It was a one room home with wooden floors and stone walls. The drapes were scrap pieces of material that barely covered the windows. There were clothes draped over chairs and dirty dishes piled by a tub of water, still foaming with soap. A cast iron stove stood in the corner, a fire licking at the wood inside. A noise came from the foot of the bed and her mouth dropped open when she saw a small cat sitting there, he was blue with tiny white wings protruding from his back.

What... Was happening?

She reached out towards the cat, as if it were an illusion. It was then that she heard a voice, it was a man demanding, "Who are you and what are you doing in my house?" She looked towards the voice and nearly passed out. The pink hair, the white scaled scarf, the black vest and white billowy pants. Sitting in front of her was the very man she had been thinking of as she fell asleep. Before she could call it back she said.

"Natsu!"

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There you have it! The first chapter! I'm excited and nervous all at the same time to have everyone read this. Please leave me a review if you liked it or have any suggestions for me. I'm always open to improvement!

Lillith Mey


	2. Chapter 2

I am absolutely blown away by the response to my first chapter, 24 follows, 7 favourites and 12 comments! Every alert on my phone to follows and reviews made me feel so good about what I had written! Thank you all again! I plan to try and update once a week, but life happens and it may get off track every once in a while.

I didn't realize until it was pointed out to me just how mysterious I had been as to the content of the story. Well... you'll just have to wait and see! I do have a story planned out though. Hehe

Another point to mention is that in this world dragons are much more prominent that in the one created by the amazing Hiro Mashima. So please enjoy this next chapter!

Disclaimer: I sadly own no part of Fairy Tail *Sigh*

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Chapter 2

"Natsu!"

Her mouth dropped open as she stared at the man who had lately been in her nearly every thought. He was regarding her with more curiosity than anger at finding a strange woman in his house. When his name fell from her lips his eyebrows rose and he asked,

"Do I... Know you?"

Lucy scrambled to think, she shouldn't have said his name. In this world she didn't exist, she shouldn't know his name, or Happy's. A little light bulb went on in her head and she turned back to him with a smile.

"There's a sign out front, I just assumed you were Natsu and he was Happy." She gestured to the blue cat at the end of the bed who was still only watching her with unblinking eyes. "It would be a bit strange for you to be Happy and he to be Natsu."

For a moment he simply regarded her with a shrewd look, but then his mouth split wide in that smile she had only ever seen in her imagination and he laughed. His hands on his belly as he doubled over.

"Me? Happy? That's hysterical!" For a while he kept laughing, his hand striking his knee as he did so. The cat at the end of the bed decided she was alright to come near and padded across the bed to rub against her leg. Lucy's hand came out and stroked along his blue fur, her fingers flitting over the little white wings, they were so soft. Happy was her first story, the reason she had even written the Dragon Slayer series. After writing about his birth she had delved into the world of the little boy who had looked after him and waited eagerly for his arrival. Her vision suddenly blurred as she blinked back tears. She had no idea why or how she was here, but to see this little blue cat in front of her was the best thing that had ever happened in her life.

Natsu had stopped laughing by this time and was regarding the exchange with a smile, "He likes you! That's pretty rare for someone he's never met before. You must be special!" The man suddenly popped up from his seat and loomed over her, "You're sure we've never met before?"

Lucy felt her cheeks heat up and she shook her head, "N-No... We've never met before. I just got lost in the forest and found your house. No one was home and there was a bed..." She trailed off, looking up again and straight into those golden eyes of his. Wow, she had done a really good job imagining them, like topaz. Natsu's eyes trailed over to the bed and then leaned back, his fingers rubbing his chin and he nodded, "Well it _is_ comfortable... You say you got lost in the woods? What were you doing out there?"

Once again a question that should have been so simple to answer had her scrambling to find one. To give herself a bit more time to think of a reason she stood up from the bed and began to make it, which had Natsu looking at her funny. "Why are you doing that? It's just going to get messy again."

Lucy smiled, "Habit I guess." She finished pulling up the blanket and set Happy down on the pillow before she turned to the dragon slayer with her answer, "I wanted to have an adventure. My parents are gone now and I'm not very outgoing. I got tired of just sitting at home hearing about everyone else going on trips to amazing places and all the fun things they had done. I decided it was time to make my own stories."

"Everyone needs to have adventures! Life would be so boring without them! It's great that you found this place then and didn't run into a forest Vulcan. Those guys are more annoying than dangerous for someone like me, but you don't even have any magic!"

Natsu didn't say it with any type of ill feelings, more pity that she didn't have something as great as he did. It was then that he suddenly realized what she was wearing, "You walked through the forest in your pajamas?" He looked at her like she'd grown a third eye or something.

"Oh... I uh... I lost my bag one night. I had it sitting beside me while I slept and when I woke up it was gone." She wasn't sure if he'd believe her but all he did was nod.

"Yeah, there are little critters all over the place that will take your stuff if you leave it by itself! That's why I always wear this!" He gestured down to the black vest and white pants."

"You never wear anything else? Is it always the same outfit? Do you wash it?" It was honestly something she had never thought to cover in her books, the washing of clothes. Did they do things she didn't write? They had to, I mean there was a whole world here and she wasn't writing any of this now.

"When it gets really bad Erza usually orders me to take my clothes off and go take a bath while she washes them. Of course I do whatever she tells me to, don't want to get on her bad side. We saw enough of that a couple months ago when she and Jellal were fighting."

He cringed at the memory, Erza had gone between bouts of melancholy and binge eating strawberry shortcake to getting upset over every little thing and yelling and/or destroying things. Natsu was so glad they had finally worked things out.

Lucy had to hold back her smile, she could see him replaying the weeks of Erza's mood swings in his head and the expressions were priceless. She'd had fun writing those volatile days. While most of the time Erza was level headed and an amazing fighter, sometimes her big heart and strong emotions took over.

Lucy interrupted his recollections with a question, "Who is Erza?" Of course she knew, but he didn't know that. His face lit up into a giant grin as he explained.

"Erza's a member of Fairy Tail, the guild I belong to! We're dragon slayers! Most dragons are okay, like Igneel. Sometimes though a few get a little too violent and start wrecking nearby towns and killing people. We have a job board at the guild and for different amounts of jewels we go take care of the problem! There are other guilds that have magic and do normal jobs, but ours just does dragons."

Lucy nodded, "So all of you can kill dragons? What kind of magic do you have?"

Natsu smiled wide again and lifted a fist, it immediately burst into flames, "I'm a fire dragon slayer! Trained by Igneel himself! Not all my friends were taught by dragons though, they're just strong. There are only three of us that were. Myself, Wendy and Gajeel, we're who you call when there's a really BIG dragon problem."

She smiled at the pride in his voice, "You sound like you really love that place." The fire dragon slayer nodded and grabbed her wrist. "Come on! I'll take you there!" He headed for the door with a determined pace, Lucy stumbling to keep up with him. Happy stood up with a low grumble and stretched, then took off after them with a few beats of his wings.

The three of them walked through the forest for a little while, her eyes going to every tree and flower they passed. The names of each one flying through her head. The feeling was incredible, seeing everything you'd ever dreamed of come to life. She couldn't imagine how she was going to feel when they arrived at the guild and she came face to face with even more people she knew as well as she did herself. She was going to have to be careful not to let slip more knowledge than someone new to town should have.

A rumble suddenly shook the ground, but Natsu didn't seem the least bit disturbed. He simply grinned as his arms reached behind his head and he looked up at the sky. Lucy followed his lead and when she looked up she was privileged to see the form of a large dragon flying overhead. It cried out loudly, making her jump and cover her ears. Laughing she watched until it had disappeared from view.

"I've never seen one so close before, that's amazing."

"They're the best! Well the ones that don't try to eat you anyway. I think that was Gonal, hard to tell with the sun above him. He's a dragon that lives in the woods on the other side of the town. If you want I'll take you out to meet him sometime." Natsu looked over at her grinning.

"I'd like that. I'd like that a lot." She smiled back at him.

Soon they came to the outskirts of town and she stopped, looking around at the town of Magnolia. She felt an amazing burst of pride as she watched people mill around little shops, children running and laughing as they played. It took longer to get to the guild than it probably normally took the dragon slayer because she kept stopping to look at everything. He never voiced his impatience though, merely grinned at her like he understood how awesome she'd find his hometown.

They reached part of the canal and as her habit she hopped up onto the wall, using her arms to balance out as she walked. Natsu looked up at her curiously and asked, "Aren't you afraid you're going to fall?"

Lucy shook her head and laughed, "Even if I do, all I'll get is wet!" The laughter proved infectious and Natsu's mouth split into a wide grin.

"Well how about you don't fall in, I'd rather not have to get wet too when I fish you out of there."

The blonde giggled, "Deal."

A few minutes later they arrived outside the guild, once again she was struck by the sight. Her mouth pulled into a wide grin and before she knew it she was laughing. It was perfect! Exactly as she had imagined it all those years ago. From the wide gate across the front, to the script letters proclaiming "Fairy Tail". The place was huge, four stories high with a bell tower in the top. She felt at home, a peace settling around her like she hadn't felt since her parents died.

"Come on! It's Thursday! Mira made her blazing chili!" He grabbed her wrist and dragged her towards the double doors, just before he opened them he stopped. "Hey... I never asked you your name." It didn't seem like a big deal to him, like he'd already judged her to be someone trustworthy so it didn't matter.

"Lucy, I'm Lucy Heartfilia"

She was gifted once more with the engaging grin of the pink haired slayer. "Well, Lucy Heartfilia, this is Fairy Tail!" He pushed the doors open and she was assaulted by loud voices, loud laughter, and loud fights. It was wonderful! She stepped inside and barely missed being hit by a flying piece of ice. This was apparently Happy's cue to simply float away, signalling his disinterest in another fight between his owner and whoever was his opponent today.

"What are you doing here flame-brain? I thought you'd be gone for at least another week!" The black haired, bare chested male was barreling towards the two of them, a less than friendly look on his face.

 _Gray_ , Lucy thought as the man stopped inches away from Natsu.

"You'd like that wouldn't you Ice Princess?!" Natsu leaned forward until their heads were touching. Steam started to rise around the two as heat met cold and Lucy took a step back. She knew that in about five seconds the two of them would... Natsu struck first and Gray didn't hesitate to retaliate, the two of them rolling around on the floor in a battle everyone knew wasn't really serious. They just liked to antagonize each other. A soft voice sounded behind her as she watched the fight.

"Natsu-san and Gray-sama do this all the time, please do not be alarmed by it." Lucy turned around to see a blue haired woman looking at the two rolling around on the floor with a soft smile, love shining in her eyes. _Juvia._

"Oh I wasn't worried, they seem like they're good friends." Lucy smiled at the woman, who looked surprised that she had already figured it out.

"I am Juvia, You are new here." It was more statement than question and Lucy nodded.

"Uh ya, I am. I got lost in the woods and found Natsu's place. He wasn't there and I sort of used his bed for a nap. Hey um... Do you know maybe where I could get some different clothes? I don't know what happened to my bag. All I have left are these keys." She held up the pouch and the woman's eyes went wide.

"You are a celestial wizard!" Juvia's face became animated and the fighting stopped immediately between the two men on the floor. Gray came over and slung an arm around Juvia's shoulders, causing the blue haired woman's face to turn red.

"This chick is a celestial wizard? Why didn't you say so Natsu?"

Natsu was looking at her pouch, a finger coming out to poke it and he shrugged up at Gray. "I didn't know, she never said."

Lucy felt her face flushing. A celestial wizard, that's what these keys were. When she had looked at them before she had gone to bed they looked like ordinary house keys, now however they all held different shaped handles with images on them proclaiming which spirit they held.

"I uh... I'm not very good at it. They were my mothers keys, I've made contracts with the spirits but I'm not really a fighter..." She only told a half lie, she WOULD make contracts with the spirits. As soon as she got a moment to herself again.

"That's ok! You'll get loads better being here!" Natsu said with a grin, "I'm sure in no time you'll be able to beat snowflake, he's not very good." His thumb was pointed over at Gray, who took his hand and froze it. Natsu dropped to the floor, trapped under the ice.

"Not good my ass, just because you were trained by a dragon doesn't mean I'm not better than you hot-head." Gray smirked, planting a kiss to Juvia's temple. It was like he knew what was coming next.

"Oh yeah! Come say that to my face popsicle!"

"I just did lava-breath!"

The two of them started rolling around on the floor again as they battled for who was the superior fighter. This time both Juvia and Lucy merely sighed, ignoring them. Juvia led Lucy over to where a white haired woman was tending bar. She smiled as they approached. _Mira_

"You're the one Natsu brought right? Lucy?" The petite woman walked around the counter, her large belly the first thing Lucy saw, she couldn't help but stare at it. It only made the other woman chuckle. "My name is Mira and I know! I'm about to burst! It's amazing I'm even here, Laxus usually doesn't let me out of his sight these days, he wants nothing to harm the baby. He's such a good father already." The look on her face was a dreamy one.

Lucy smiled, Laxus and Mira had been her first book, the two of them married just about two years now. She had known the woman was pregnant, had written it, but it was still a bit of a shock to see the demon-woman swollen with child.

"I'm sure he only has both of your health in mind when he hovers." Lucy chuckled slightly, Laxus was a brute of a man, more capable of dealing death than soft feelings. With Mira however, he turned into a giant teddy bear.

"Yes, that's exactly right, I'm glad you understand. Now, are you interested in joining our guild Lucy? I assume that's why Natsu brought you here."

"Oh! Well... I mean he just wanted to show me the guild... And get some of your chili. He practically dragged me here." Lucy said with exasperation.

Mira and Juvia laughed, the blunette answering her, "He does love Mira's chili, but I do not think that is why he brought you here. Our guild is mostly made up of people who do not really know where they belong in the world. Orphans, outcasts, people with nowhere else to go. Most of all, those who want adventure."

Lucy thought about what she had told Natsu this morning while they talked. She had mentioned being alone and wanting adventure, was that why he brought her here? The two women were looking at her with expectant smiles and Lucy couldn't help but break out into her own.

"Yes, I'd like to join Fairy Tail."

Mira let out a soft laugh and went behind the counter, she struggled to bend for a few seconds before she straightened out and came around again with something that resembled a rubber stamper. "Where would you like your guild mark?"

Lucy thought about it for a while, she wanted it somewhere that everyone could see. She had dreamed about this moment more than once over the years, but never considered where she would put one. Brightening she held out her hand. "Here please, so everyone knows."

The stamp came to hover over her hand, then press down gently. When it was lifted away the mark that was left was pink, and filled Lucy with so much joy she wasn't sure if she wanted to laugh or cry.

Mira smiled at her, "Welcome to Fairy Tail, Lucy."

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There it is! I hope I didn't disappoint you all! I know it was a little fluffy but it probably will be for the first couple chapters. Lucy getting used to be in the world she created rather than overseeing it like some all powerful goddess :P We got to see what couples she did in her first books! Laxus and Mira, Erza and Jellal, Grey and Juvia. But who's the fourth? Hmm... any guesses?

Thank you to all those who reviewed: Westerngoddess, Crimsonlink310, Darkhuntress621, Ransomenote, Anon22, Ashinsky, Enchantedbeauty1, Snavej, Garugadot, Guest, Calspirit15 and Bloodyredmidnight - You all made me so proud of my work.

Again, please feel free to leave comments and feedback and if you want to be ever so nice to make me a cover art *wink* I might drop some secret details coming later on.

Until next week,

Lillith Mey


	3. Chapter 3

Hello again everyone! I hope you had a wonderful week! I am thrilled by all the new followers!

I tried so very hard to make this chapter a bit longer and full of more detail, I succeeded with an extra 2000 words! I had such a hard time waiting a week to post this time. It's also once again very light because it's going to get a bit darker in the next couple chapters as my plans for this fic start happening. The rating will quickly go from the T it is so far to an M.

So please enjoy and as always, Don't forget to review! I love to hear what you think!

Disclaimer: Everything is owned my Hiro Mashima... EVERYTHING. *Sob*

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It was beautiful outside. The sky was a clear blue and the only clouds were those puffy white ones that when you played "What does that cloud look like?" you'd find a duck riding a skateboard. There was a faint breeze and Lucy was enjoying every minute of it. She was stretched out on her back, hand extended above her so she could look at the mark which had changed her life so drastically in just the last week. Had it really only been a week? It felt like so much had happened.

*-*Flashback*-*

Soon after she got her Fairy Tail mark the girls had whisked her away to find some clothing. They had offered her some of their clothes to start with but unfortunately all three of their bodies were different in both size and shape. So next came a shopping trip, she had initially refused to let them pay for her clothing but they just smiled and said,

"We're family now, we look after each other."

The simple explanation had left Lucy speechless and extremely grateful. In only a few hours they had bought everything she needed and on the way back to the guild hall the problem became where she was going to stay. She didn't have any money yet and wasn't qualified for jobs without some training first. Both Mira and Juvia offered to let her stay with them but she declined, knowing she'd be a third wheel to the still fairly new relationships they both had. The women sat at a table discussing who in the guild she could room with when Natsu happened to walk by and said casually,

"She can stay with me and Happy." He was munching on an apple and took another bite as he looked between them. Three pairs of eyes turned up to him in surprise. "What? She already knows where I live and thinks my bed is comfy. I can sleep in my hammock until she gets her own place. It's not like we're there much anyway."

The women looked between each other and Mira shrugged, "He has a point, he did bring you to the guild so he has a responsibility to make sure you're settled." She smiled then, "Alright, Lucy you're staying with Natsu until you can afford your own place!" Lucy felt both relieved to have a place to stay and utterly disgusted because she knew how much cleaning she'd have to do before she felt comfortable staying there for any length of time.

It had taken her two days to make that place livable. Scrubbing floors she had expected, but walls?! What did that man do? Have dirt fights? She had taken the very brown rug outside and beaten it until her arm hurt, then scrubbed that down too. She cleaned out the wash tub and asked him why there was food in it, his answer was, "Makes sense to do the dishes while I take a bath, saves time." She cringed but went on to remove the ash from his fire stove. The whole time she worked he complained that she was messing up his house and said it had been just how he liked it. Lucy chose to ignore him. She was surprised to find he had literally no other clothes and only minimal dishes. When she asked him about it he gave her his casual shrug, "I eat mostly at the guild and I like what I'm wearing. It's comfy." Her eyes had rolled skyward at that and her hands found her hips,

"Well I'm staying with you now so you'll need to get more than what you have on now because I refuse to do laundry every day! And get dishes! I like to eat at home."

Natsu just stared at her like he was wondering why he had offered to let her stay with him in the first place. She was wondering that herself, but then remembered that Natsu by nature liked to help people, and those in his guild were considered family. He would do anything for them, so when he'd heard she was in need he'd jumped to help, without thinking through all the ramifications. He was thinking them through now though, but it was too late. So he started to pout as he followed her into town the next morning so they could go shopping. All the while mumbling, "I hate shopping."

Lucy led him to a little pottery store she had seen while out with Mira and Juvia the other day The bell above the door tinkled as they entered and a short woman came from the back with a bright smile, until she saw Natsu. Her eyes went wide then and she pointed a finger at him,

"NO! He's not allowed in here! Last time he came into my shop he sneezed and melted half my inventory!"

Lucy blinked and looked back at Natsu, who was rubbing the back of his head with a chagrined look on his face, "Yeah sorry about that, I had a cold and Erza dragged me in here. I promise I'm ok now!"

The Lady didn't look convinced but at the prospect of selling some of her product she reluctantly let him stay. Lucy was in awe at the wonderful designs, flowers and ribbons and one even had stars on it! She obviously chose this set, Natsu looked them over and his only comment was,

"At least it's not the girlie one."

Clothes were next and Lucy was only half surprised when the clothing store owner had the same reaction as the lady at the pottery store,

"Last time he was here he brought that damn cat in and they covered half my inventory in dirt!"

"Hey we had just come home from a job and hadn't had a bath yet! Our clothes were ripped and we needed new ones!" Natsu was looking indignant, his stance a fighting one. Lucy quickly stepped between the two,

"He's clean now! I promise! He won't dirty anything else!" The store owner grumbled about paying for dry cleaning before he wandered away. She spent a half hour holding up different shirts for him to try on but each one he put on his wiggled out of and shook his head,

"Too tight" Was his only reason. The pants went much the same way and in the end she ended up custom ordering four sets of the exact same clothes he was wearing now. Stubborn dragon slayer...

The market was the last stop of the day and Lucy could only sigh when the proprietor stormed out pointing at Natsu with an accusing finger,

"Last time he was here he took advantage of my free samples and ate half my inventory!" Even now when she looked back at Natsu he had his face stuffed full of one of the sample trays. Lucy had to promise that Natsu would wait outside before she was allowed to continue with her shopping. She only bought enough for a few days, all of it was fresh, a drastic and admittedly welcome change to what she was used to back home. When she finally emerged from the little store she found Happy had joined Natsu where they leaned against the stone wall of the canal. He was petting the cat along his back and the purr was loud and satisfied. Lucy smiled at the sight but couldn't help exclaiming,

"No wonder you don't like shopping! Is it like that every time you try?"

"Pretty much, it's why I don't like to go." Lucy could only sigh at that, her eyes rolling towards the sky. "Well you'll have to learn better control because once I move out you're going to have to do this by yourself." He just grinned at her.

That night when she cooked him a meal of fish and chips he changed his tune drastically to their little shopping excursion. Even Happy couldn't stop purring.

"Wow Luce! You were right, eating at home is great!" He had eaten two fish already, along with a mountain of fries and was reaching for a third. She had a feeling the jobs she eventually took would have to pay a lot if she wanted to feed him and save up for her own place. She ate like a bird in comparison, just picking at her fish. She was nervous about tomorrow, since she had finished cleaning up his place and they were going to start training. The contracts had been taken care of, she had three zodiac spirits (Aquarius, Taurus and Virgo) and three lesser spirits (Horologium, crux and Plue). Plue was a tiny little white creature that looked sort of like he would be the pet to the Jack in the Box guy. He took very little magic to summon and was completely adorable so he was currently wrapped up in a ball with Happy on the bed.

It was still mind blowing that she had magic, that wasn't something she had expected. Not that she had expected any of this really but to have magic least of all. Whatever Cana had done, Lucy hoped she could one day thank her for. She felt like she was living more now than she had in the years since her parents died. Having finished her food she started to clean up the small kitchen area and wash the dishes, though not willing to go anywhere near Natsu's plate until he was done. She didn't want to loose a finger.

Training the next day had been an experience. Summoning her fighters for the first time for something other than making the contracts was a bit nerve wracking, especially since they all had their own completely different and colourful personalities. When Lucy had called for Aquarius she had gotten pissed and promptly flooded the area with all the water from the little pond used to summon her. Then had disappeared before she and Natsu could stop sputtering. Virgo was a strong spirit but she had an obsession with being punished, every time she did something she expected it as a reward? Lucy had no clue, she liked the spirit a lot but couldn't deny she was very strange.

Taurus came last, he was the strongest of the three by far, but he was a bit of a perv. For the first five minutes of being summoned he couldn't stop circling her and basically describing her every asset and what he liked about them. Natsu was standing over to the side laughing while she was blushing to the roots of her hair. Finally she had to put her foot down and tell him to go attack Natsu, the spirit sighed and gave her one last fleeting look before he let out a loud moo and charged. He swung his axe in a wide arc at Natsu, who nearly got hit because he had still been laughing, but at the last second he flipped backwards and ended up landing the first blow to Taurus' chin as he moved. The cow man shook his head and lunged again, sweeping his axe for Natsu's feet this time. Natsu jumped to avoid it and Taurus used the distraction to knock him to the ground with his shoulder. Both of them grinned at each other, realizing their opponent was skilled and they could let loose a little. It quickly got more intense, faster, Lucy had trouble keeping up with them as they lunged and parried. Taurus would swing with his axe and Natsu would generally jump or flip out of the way, he was really limber. At the same time Natsu would try to use his flaming hands or feet to knock down Taurus. Coming in from the air on a cry he would go for the direct hit, only to be blocked by the handle of Taurus' axe. Around and around they went, sparring until they were both tired. On a last attempt to knock Natsu to the ground, Taurus used his the tip of his axe on a lunge. It landed, Natsu hadn't been paying attention, distracted by something behind him. It wasn't very deep but it was rather wide and blood pooled in the shallow groove while Lucy ran towards him,

"Natsu! Are you ok?" Taurus looked disturbed and promptly apologized, both of them stepped forward to help but stopping when Natsu looked up. His eyes had been taken over by vivid flecks of red, beautiful golden eyes overtaken by the angry looking shade. He was breathing heavily and through gritted teeth he said,

"I'm fine, just... Give me a minute..." He turned and walked away from them both, stopping after a few feet. His whole body was tense, his hands balled into fists, shoulders shaking while he tried to sort through whatever was happening. It was a full five minutes before he turned around. His eyes were back to their normal topaz and his smile was back in place. "Sorry about that, happens sometimes."

Lucy was disturbed by this, it seemed... Familiar to her, but for some reason she couldn't place why. It wasn't the only strange thing she'd caught him doing either. A few times during the night she would wake up and catch him standing at the window, simply staring up at the sky. He stance would be relaxed but the look on his face was one of struggle. She had written this man, but never explored every aspect of him, he had always been a background character. Her new book was supposed to change that, but now she was going to have to learn just who he was like everyone else, by getting to know him. Something was going on with the man she now called her friend and she was determined to find out what.

*-*End Flashback*-*

She was drawn out of her musings when a shadow loomed above her. It was difficult to see the features of who was above her, but it was easy to determine the voice when it was so excited.

"Hey I found you! I thought you were going back to the house." Natsu dropped onto the grass beside her and laid down to look up at the sky as she was. Lucy was finding out quickly how much she liked this man, he was easy to talk to and very rarely let anything get to him. He shrugged off most things that went wrong and looked forward to the challenge of either fixing it or doing better next time; she could really learn from him.

"I was but I got side tracked, it's such a nice day and I didn't want to spend it inside. Look at the clouds! They're so white and fluffy." Her finger pointed at one a little to the left of where they lay. "That one looks like an airplane being chased by a monkey."

Natsu let out a laugh while he looked where she was, "You say some funny stuff sometimes, what's an airplane?"

Lucy felt her face flushing as she realized he would have absolutely no idea what that was. His observation made her wonder, "What other funny things have I said?"

He looked over at her and grinned, "While you were cooking one day you muttered something about wishing for your microwave. Then while you were cleaning you told me this place would look so much better if you could only go to Ikea. I don't know where you come from but I've never heard of either of those. That's not all you've said but," he shrugged. "I figure it's not that important, you don't seem crazy to me so I mostly just ignore when you talk crazy."

Her face was beet red now, she'd have to be more careful or else he really would start to think she was crazy. Everything in this world she had created was vastly different from the one she came from and while she loved it here, she did miss some things about home. She missed her bath stuff, her teddy bear, her clothes, her books. Surprisingly though she didn't miss her cell phone, there was something so freeing about not needing it attached at her hip. She looked over and found Natsu simply watching her. For a moment she simply stared back at him before she asked, "What?"

He broke out into a toothy grin, "Nothing, I was just waiting to see if you'd say anything else that was crazy." She gave him a shove, which had him laughing. He propped himself up on his elbows and said, "Don't worry, I like hearing about the weird things that exist where you come from." She huffed at him and sat up.

"So why were you looking for me anyway? I thought you were going fishing with Happy."

Natsu sat up full now and his whole face became animated, "I found you a job! It's pretty easy, the pay isn't very good but it's a place to start right?"

Lucy paled a bit, "A job? Already? You think I'm ready for it?"

He nudged her shoulder with his own, "For this one I think you are, don't worry I'm going with you so if it gets too much for you I can take over. Sound good?" She was relieved to hear that he'd be going with her, she nodded and smiled at him,

"If you think I'm ready and you'll be along, I guess it'll be ok."

"Great! Now come on, you're coming fishing with me!" He jumped up and grabbed her hand, yanking her to her feet so fast she nearly kept going. He laughed and steadied her before taking hold of her hand and dragging her off to the same pond Aquarius had emptied of water. The fact that there was any in there at all was thanks to Juvia, the woman had come and used her magic to pull it out of the flooded ground and back into the empty crater. The fish had even managed to live! The rest of the afternoon he spent teaching Lucy how to fish, he was appalled to learn she had never been. She refused to hook the worms but let him stand behind her and show her how to cast. It felt a bit awkward and embarrassing, but she eventually got it. Earning an enthusiastic, "Alright!" from Natsu. They didn't catch much that day, but they had a lot of fun and that night cooking what she had caught herself made it taste so much better.

The next day Lucy went with Natsu to the guild hall to grab the job posting and let Mira know they would be gone for a bit. When they walked in the door she came face to face with Erza; they hadn't met yet, she and Jellal had been out on their own job. The red headed woman approached the two of them, nodding at Natsu and then focusing her attention on Lucy, who noticed Jellal trailing behind her.

"You are the new girl Lucy, the celestial wizard." A statement of fact, Lucy expected nothing less from the straightforward woman. She smiled and responded in the same manner,

"You are Titania Erza, Queen of the Fairies and the fastest requip wizard anywhere." Her bluntness had not only Erza, but Jellal smiling too.

"Yes, that's right. I am pleased to meet you. This is Jellal, my fiancé." A slight blush stained her cheeks but she didn't look away. Jellal smiled and gave a small bow but said nothing. "What are you two doing today?"

Natsu jumped forward then, almost defensive as he all but shouted, "I'm taking Lucy on her first job!" Erza looked surprised, her eyes going over to Lucy and then back to Natsu.

"Are you sure she's ready? She's only been in the guild for a week."

"She'll be fine, it's the job over in Oshibana." Erza's face relaxed then and she smiled,

"Yes, I believe she will do alright with that one. Good luck Lucy, I will see you when you return." She walked away from them then, Jellal following her. They moved around each other like gravity, never straying far from the others side. It was nice to see, after all, since Lucy had put the two of them through so much before they found their happiness. She and Natsu made their way to the job board where they grabbed the posting and took it to Mira, the older woman looked tired today but she still smiled when they approached.

"Natsu told me yesterday he was going to take you on this job, don't worry it's a good one for your first time. You'll have one of the strongest members of the guild with you too so you don't have to worry about actually getting hurt." Mira made a face just then and breathed in deeply through her nose before letting it out through her mouth. She sent them on their way after that and Lucy looked back over her shoulder at the woman, wondering if the baby would be here by the time they got back. As they were leaving she heard more than one person mention the job they were going on, it ranged from pity to laughter. Just what kind of job had he picked for her? She glanced down at the job poster for the first time and her eyes widened.

Please Help us!

A baby rock dragon is attacking our city and we want him gone!

Reward:

70,000 jewel

This was her first job? Well at least it was baby, but it was still a dragon! Was she expected to kill it or just sort of... Shoo it? She had absolutely no idea what to expect and as she passed by a table by the door she heard Wakaba comment,

"Good luck new girl, don't get flattened." Great, now she was even more nervous. They stopped briefly at the market, getting the stink eye from the owner the whole time, then made their way out of the city. Lucy hadn't even mentioned the train, knowing about her companions motion sickness. Besides, she could see more of the world she had created walking than she could if it was speeding by a train window. The place they were headed was only a day and a half away anyway. Lucy wasn't surprised to see Happy float up from seemingly out of nowhere and settle on top of Natsu's head. For a while they walked in silence, Lucy was pretty sure Natsu had not a care in the world but her mind was swimming. Finally she blurted out,

"Just how big is a baby dragon?"

Natsu looked over and Happy raised his head from the middle of Natsu's pink spikes, he thought about it for a while before he answered,

"That depends on what kind of dragon it is, and how old it is. They start out small but get big pretty quick and given that this is a rock dragon it's going to be pretty heavy too. If you're lucky he's still on the young side and maybe the size of a Vulcan, if you're not lucky he might be the size of my house."

Lucy felt slightly ill, she wished she were better prepared for this, "Well I'll hope for the Vulcan then. Am I supposed to kill it?" That was the next question that weighed heavily on her mind, she didn't know if she could do that yet, especially to a baby. She was relieved when Natsu shook his head.

"Generally with babies we just steer them back to the rest of the clutch, their mama's spend a lot of time hunting so sometimes they wander off and get into trouble." Her mind somewhat put at ease with that explanation it allowed her to relax and enjoy his company. Happy woke up from his cat nap a few minutes later and she reached up to grab the blue fluff ball and give him a squeeze, it was still so exciting for her to see him come to life. The cat settled into her arms with a loud purr and she turned to ask,

"How did you find him? I've never seen a cat with wings before."

Natsu smiled at his cat and then launched into the story of how a giant egg fell out of a tree one day and he and his friend Lisanna had kept it safe and warm. When it eventually hatched, Happy was the result. They had been together ever since, inseparable. Lucy had been listening at the beginning, but as soon as he mentioned Lisanna her brain shorted a bit and her thoughts began swirling. Why hadn't she thought of the woman when she was trying to figure out someone for Natsu? They had played together as children and even though she was often gone for long periods of time, they still spent a lot of time together when she was home. Lucy felt like an idiot, no harm in finding out if there's a spark there, since she had no control over it herself anymore.

"Where's Lisanna now? I don't think I met her back at the guild."

"Oh she's still a part of Fairy Tail, being Mira and Elfman's younger sister. Ever since we both looked after Happy until he was hatched she got real interested in helping abandoned or orphan dragon clutches hatch and grow. She's part of a group that is headed up in capital and the dragons she raises either end up going back into the wilds or they are a little on the tame side so they're used to educate people on their nature and what precautions to take when dealing with certain kinds. She does good work, everyone should know what dragons are capable of.

Lucy smiled at the praise he gave the other woman, maybe there was something there after all. She didn't want to push however so until later she would leave the subject alone. They talked about nothing and everything for the rest of the day and after eating they both laid down on their blankets, staring up at the sky.

"Tell me about the stars Lucy." Natsu's voice was loud after the silence they had both been sitting in. She heard the curiosity in his voice and tilted her head back to look at him on the other side of the fire. Lifting her arm into the air she pointed at a cluster almost directly above her,

"That one's Orion, the hunter. Then there's Canis Major and Canis Minor, his trusty hunting dogs." She giggled, "Lepus is beneath them and is said to be the rabbit stalked by the hunter."

Natsu's eyes narrowed and he stared intently at the sky before he simply shrugged, "They just look like stars to me."

Lucy couldn't help but smile and pointed out a few other constellations, but she could tell he couldn't see them like she did, he was just being nice as he listened. Her heart melted just a little bit at that fact, most of people she had ever tried to talk about night sky to just gave her the line, "Yeah, I don't believe in any of that stuff." It hit her once more just how comfortable she was with him and she was glad that Cana had put her in his house instead of somewhere else. Soft snoring could now be heard coming from his side of the fire and she smiled softly as she fell asleep too.

She didn't know how long it was before she was woken up, but it was still dark outside. The noise that brought her out of sleep was still happening and she was alarmed to realize it was Happy meowing loudly. Sitting up Lucy looked at the cat and then the blanket where Natsu had been asleep, he wasn't there. Getting up she called softly, "Natsu?" There was no answer, she looked down at Happy who was staring at a spot in the woods with his tail flicking gently back and forth. Lucy slowly made her way towards the spot, calling Natsu's name once more. After she passed a couple trees she found him squatting near a rock, facing away from her. His breathing was heavy and he seemed to be trembling. Her hand gently touched his shoulder and he jumped, his head coming up fast."

"Lucy! I didn't hear you coming, is something wrong?" Her brow pulled downward at that, not hear her coming? With his dragon senses? What was he doing over here?

"Nothing's wrong, I just woke up and you weren't there. Are you ok?" He had been hunched over until she asked this, straightening to his full height.

"Yeah I'm fine, no worries." He flashed her a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes and marched back towards their camp. Lucy lingered there for a moment, her brain working over time because she should know what was happening to him, but she couldn't remember. Following him back to camp she found him already asleep, she laid down but it was a long while before it came for her.

The next morning he was back to his usual sunny self and she found it hard to believe that what had occurred last night had actually happened. How could he be the goofy idiot she knew so well one minute and then something completely different the next? She shoved it out of her mind for the moment because they would be arriving in Oshibana in the next couple hours. Instead she took the time to question Natsu more about what to expect from baby rock dragons. She had created a world with numerous different types of dragons, but never gave much thought to what they would all be. How could you create a world and not know every single aspect of it? How could this world create something when she hadn't thought of it? It was all so very confusing. Thankfully Natsu knew exactly what to expect.

"Rock dragons are basically big brown scaly bulldozers, they love to just smash everything in their path. They're big and bulky, very heavy. Their tail is club like and while they can fly it's not very high. Not very fast either, for a dragon."

Lucy wasn't sure if she felt better or worse after his explanation.

They were within sight of the town sooner than she would have liked and Lucy could feel her pulse hammering in her ears she was so nervous. What if she couldn't do this? What if she failed? Would everyone laugh at her and call her a loser? Would Natsu? They approached the outskirts and she was agape at all the destruction she saw. Buildings had been smashed completely, crumbled brick littering the broken streets. There was no one in sight as they made their way further into the town. It only got worse, one block completely leveled by the so called baby dragon. They started to hear a sound that to her was like a raptor call from Jurassic park, the baby came into view a few feet later. He was the size of Natsu's house, great, he had to be on the big end of the spectrum. The baby was spinning around in circles, more buildings falling under his wrecking ball of a tail. One of them must have made a noise because the monstrous baby dragon turned around and looked right at them. He let out another shriek and started to charge. Lucy froze, she didn't know what to do, couldn't even move to grab one of her keys. The dragon kept getting closer and closer, still shrieking. Finally finding her voice she did some shrieking of her own.

"NATSUUUU!"

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Oooo what's going to happen! You have to wait a week and find out! I'm also wondering if anyone would like to see a chapter or two from Natsu's point of view. Let me know!

Thank you to those who reviewed my last chapter!

Dark Shining Light: I'm so happy you're enjoying it! I'm having so much fun writing it! It's hard to wait the full week to post more but I restrain myself!

Ashinsky: Well perhaps if there is enough interest after I finish this fic and the one I have planned for Gajevy, I'll write Lucy's books. Erza will have strawberry shortcake, I promise. I'm glad you like the fluff because I have always felt like yes it is extremely light but it's important to have those times to get you through the darker periods. I love Lucy how she is now and I just couldn't send her back to the beginning with her sub par lying skills. Fairy Tail is a place I wish I could be and has always felt like home to all the characters and even to myself. I wouldn't want to make it anything else. I'm so glad you liked it and hope you keep enjoying it!

Guest: I will update again next monday! Thrilled you're enjoying it!

Calspirit15: If you still love it I did my job right! How do you like the cliffhange rs? I love them.

Crimsonlink310: I brought her to the guild right away because it's the relationships with them all afterwards and her adventures with Natsu that I'm focusing on. As for Gajevy... there are plans here... My next fic will be for them, a continuation of this one, though how does it come about... hmmm... I hope this enough adventure for now, I admit your review of the last chapter spurred me on to add so much more than I had intended. I also added a bit of matchmaking spirit along with moments to get them closer as not only friends but eventual lovers ;) As for the fourth couple... None of the above! I wish more people had tried to guess. We'll have to wait and see! It makes my day knowing you're enjoying my writing so much!


	4. Chapter 4

Hello again everyone! It's Monday so we know what that means! New chapter! Yay! I struggled with this one, not sure why but I had a major block and wrote most of this yesterday and early this morning. I hope it still lives up to your expectations and I didn't ruin it TOO much. As always please read and review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Natsu or Lucy or anyone else. It's not fair.

* * *

"Natsuuuu!"

Lucy screamed his name as the rock dragon came barreling down on her. The baby was still shrieking and slamming its tail on the ground as it ran, dust flying in all directions as it got closer. She was frozen to the spot, just waiting for Natsu to save her from the obviously dangerous dragon. When he didn't appear and the baby got bigger and bigger she screamed and covered her face with her arms. She felt a few small rocks hit her face and dust filled her lungs, the sounds emitted were loud enough to deafen her but when she expected pain... None came. Slowly, very slowly, she lowered her arms. Had Natsu saved her? Pushed the large body away? No, she could still hear small noises coming from it every once in a while. When Lucy finally lowered her arms all the way and looked the huge dragon in the face it made a happy sounding little shriek, causing her to cover her ears, and then dropped down to the ground. The entire area around him shook and broke apart, which seemed to be exactly what he wanted. He dug his nose into the ground and found a large piece of rubble, rolling it towards Lucy and letting out another little shriek. She didn't really know what it wanted, the thing was the same size as her. The baby did it again, with a smaller piece this time. Lucy reached for it and when she picked it up he rose and flapped his wings, coming up on his back legs. It... Wanted to play? She threw the rock as far as she could and he snapped his jaw after it. Once he had defeated the offending rock he turned back to her, sat down and waited. This was entirely bizarre. She looked around for Natsu and saw him about a hundred feet away, bent over at the middle and laughing. She suddenly realized he knew exactly what would happen on this job and it made her fume. She picked up a rock and threw it in his direction, it was small enough to go a long distance, but large enough that the dragon took off after it. Large feet shaking the ground as it ran. Natsu saw the baby coming and let out a little yelp as he ran too. Lucy cut him off and was in front of him before he recovered from nearly being trampled by the baby and she yelled,

"That's why everyone was saying this was a good first job?! They knew the baby would just want to play?! Why didn't you tell me?! I've been worried sick that I'd get crushed or something!" Her face was red and her chest was heaving, he was only grinning back at her.

"I couldn't spoil the surprise, it wouldn't be fair! You never know when a job might turn deadly so being worried is a good thing. Usually when babies wander away they get curious about nearby towns and go exploring. This time it just happened to be a destruction loving rock dragon who was looking for someone to play with, since all his clutch mates are back in the nest. More a nuisance than anything to be worried about. The town will rebuild and I'm sure any injuries are minor anyway, now the job becomes getting it back home. This part will be difficult." He looked thoughtful, his hand coming up to stroke his chin.

Lucy was still fuming and for good measure she gave him a hard shove, making him fall on his ass. She turned and came face to face with the dragon, his eye right beside her. She let out a little shriek of surprise and the baby let one out right back at her. Rocks came tumbling from it's mouth, carefully chosen pieces for her to throw. All of them were covered in saliva though and she didn't really want to touch them. How on earth was she supposed to get the baby back to it's nest? Where was the nest anyway? She looked all around and in the distance she saw a jumbled mess of rocky terrain.

"Looks like he came from over there." She pointed towards it as Natsu came up beside her, arms folded and smiling.

"So how do we get him back home?" He looked over at her with a raised brow.

"I don't know! Don't you?"

"Course I do, but it's your job isn't it?" She gave him a dirty look and then idly threw a rock in the direction they needed to go. The baby chased after it with a happy little noise, but came back almost as soon as it turned away, her arm just couldn't throw as far as it needed to chase. An idea suddenly struck her and she cried out in triumph.

"I've got it!" Natsu turned to look at her and she had pulled out one of her keys, pointing it in front of her she yelled, "Open! Gate of the Maiden! VIRGO!"

A bright flash of light temporarily blinded them and when it receded the celestial spirit stood in front of her. She was clad in her everyday maid attire with two shackles adorning each wrist. Little hat sat on her fuchsia topped head.

"Princess, is it time for punishment?" The spirit asked, bringing out a scary looking black whip.

"AHH! NO! Why do you even have that?!" Lucy shrieked at her, grabbing the whip and throwing it to the side. Natsu slunk away and picked it up, dangling the end in front of Happy to get him to play with it. The cat obliged, pouncing and batting at it.

"I'm sorry princess, what is it you need?"

"The baby dragon over there," She pointed to where the rock dragon was currently slamming his tail onto the ground and then rolling in the rubble. "We need to get him back home but I can't exactly carry him and it seems the only thing he likes to do is make a mess and play fetch. Since you can bore tunnels into the ground I figured you can create some huge pieces of rock and toss it in the direction of those little mountains over there. You'll be able to throw them a lot farther than I could."

Virgo placed one hand over her heart and bowed halfway down, "Of course, princess. It would be my pleasure, and if I don't do it right you can always punish me."

Lucy felt exasperation and sighed, "That won't be necessary, I'm sure you'll do fine."

Virgo turned and disappeared into the ground. She appeared again on the other side of the rock dragon with a rock easily 3 times the size of her, but she tossed it about 500 feet away and the baby dragon let out a happy shriek and took off after it.

"Come on, Natsu!" Lucy called and started running after the baby and Virgo. Natsu had gotten the whip wrapped around his legs and was flailing to get untangled before he started chasing after the three of them. Every few hundred yards the baby would catch up with the rubble Virgo threw and either smash or chomp on it, then immediately roll on it. Virgo usually had to whistle or call out to get him to notice that she was holding another piece for him to play with.

About halfway there Lucy got tired, she had a stitch in her side and she was panting. The place they needed to go was a long way from the town and they were only about halfway there. She didn't think she'd make it the rest of the way. Lucy watched as Virgo threw another rock and dropped to her knees on a groan. Natsu caught up to her then and stopped, he was breathing heavily but there was a sparkle in his eyes.

"Come on Luce, you can't give up now."

"Can't... Run... Anymore..." She panted out, holding her side.

Natsu grinned and leaned down, grabbing her around the waist he slung her over his shoulder and started running again. At first Lucy was too shocked to react but the bouncing eventually had her yelling, "Put me down! I'm not a sack of potatoes!"

Laughter was his answer and she started smacking his back and wiggling her feet. He ignored her and didn't stop until they were at the rocky terrain that was much larger now that they were upon it. They stopped at the bottom and only then did Natsu place her firmly on the ground. She gave him a little shove and a death glare for good measure which only made him grin wider.

"We are here princess, if there is nothing else?" Lucy shook her head and Virgo bowed again, disappearing in a little poof. She turned to look at the tall crumbling mountains and wondered where on earth the nest was. The only thing to do was to start climbing to the top and then search that way. It took another half hour to make it to the top.

The baby knew he was close to home now and started to fly up along with them, when they reached the top he thankfully let out a shriek and started moving to the right. As they got closer to the nest they could hear more shrieks and calls, growls and crashes. The sight they came upon was one of hilarity. Four other rock baby dragons were smashing everything in sight and rolling around, eating the rocks and getting mad at their siblings when they got too close to one anothers pile. The one they had rescued let out a deafening cry and his clutch mates turned to see him, their wings flapping as they let out the same noise. Lucy was covering her ears and didn't see the rock flung in their direction as a greeting to the missing sibling. Natsu dove for her and she screamed as they rolled a few feet away. His arms had protected her head and when they stopped he looked down at her, concerned.

"Did it hit you?"

All she could think was, Gold eyes, he really has gold eyes. It took her a minute before she could shake her head and respond. "No it didn't hit me, thank you."

A smile spread across his face and he released her, popping to his feet and holding out a hand to help her up. She took it and he yanked, apparently the only way he knew to help someone up, and she fell against his chest. Eyes wide she looked up at him and he raised a brow,

"Clutz ain'tcha?"

Wrinkling her nose she pushed away from him. "Maybe if you didn't try to pull my arm out of the socket I wouldn't be falling again."

"I was only helping you up! Geez you can't even say thank you?" He grumbled, his arms crossed over his chest.

She sighed, he was right, she hadn't thanked him for pulling her out of the way of the rock.

"Thank you Natsu, for not letting the big rock hit me and helping me up."

He smiled then and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the playing babies. "Come on, we need to make sure the mother knows he's back and see that he doesn't wander off again before she does." He lead her a round about way to avoid more flying debris. They checked inside the cave first, Natsu yelling out "Helloooooo" and only getting an echo in return.

"Looks like she's out." Lucy commented.

"Probably looking for her baby, he did wander pretty far. Guess we'll just have to wait for her to get back." Still clutching her hand he started moving back over to a flat bit of rock and only released it when she sat down. He stood there for a moment watching the dragons play and then sat down beside her, it was a tight fit and they were pressed together at arms and legs. Lucy felt a slight blush creep up her cheeks but she ignored it and asked him,

"So you grew up with a dragon right? That's how you got your abilities?"

Natsu grinned and she knew he was remembering. "Yeah, I did. His name is Igneel. I don't remember my birth parents at all, I just remember being really young, wandering around with no people in sight when I heard a cry and I looked up to see him circling. I was terrified when he landed, crying and unable to move. He watched me for a while before he asked me a question. He asked me if I was alone. His voice rumbled the ground, but it was kind, and when I nodded he came forward and said. "I can teach you to take care of yourself, and you'll never be alone."

Lucy smiled, "He sounds wonderful, do you still see him often?"

The smile fading, his head shook slightly. "I haven't seen him in a while, he just disappeared. I don't know why or when he'll come back, I miss him like crazy but I know there's a reason he left. Just wish I knew what it was."

Her head shifted slightly to lean on his shoulder in a comforting gesture. She had already known all this, but hearing him tell the story with such affection and also sorrow, made her glad he'd had someone to take care of him, to raise him; and also sad because that person was gone from his life. "I'm sure he'll come back one day, and you'll be a family again. Don't worry, you can't ever forget the people you love."

He looked down at her with a warm smile, "Thanks, sometimes I wonder if I'll ever see him again. It's nice to hear someone say I will."

They sat like that for a while, just watching the babies play. Lucy told herself she should sit up straight, not use him as a pillow, but he was warm and comfortable. After all that running she was exhausted, her eyes grew heavy and before she realized it, she had fallen asleep. How much time passed she didn't know, but she was woken by a bone jarring shriek. Popping up from where she leaned against Natsu, her eyes blinked rapidly and she looking around.

"Mom's back" He said from beside her, lifting himself from the rock he walked to where the massive dragon landed. It was an interesting sight to see, Lucy would have been terrified to get that close to a dragon. Natsu was a slayer though, one of the best, for him this was just another day. She watched in awe as he got closer to the mother, his hands raised just slightly to show he meant no harm. He spoke a little louder, but it was still kind. "We found your baby in Oshibana, he'd wandered away from here and was destroying the town. He's unharmed and over there, playing with his clutch mates." He gestured to where the group of them were winding down in their games, getting ready for a nap.

The mother shifted to look at her children and then turned back to him. Her voice was loud and clear, "Thank you, slayer." Her gaze shifted to Lucy and for a moment she said nothing, simply stared, but then her voice rang out again, "You as well, traveller." Lucy blinked at the name given to her, watching as the dragon moved over to her clutch, the little ones jumping all over her as she laid down until they simply passed out.

Natsu came back to where she still sat on the rock and held out his hand, "Shall we go? We should try and make it back to Oshibana before dark so we can find whoever is paying you and get a room. If the inn hasn't been destroyed that is." He was grinning now and she couldn't help but smile back. She took his hand and he once again yanked her up. This time though she was prepared and balanced herself out before she fell. The walk back was nice, they talked more about Igneel and what kinds of things he had taught Natsu, how he taught them. It fascinated Lucy to hear about the first time he had breathed fire, shot flames from his fists. She couldn't imagine being able to do something like that. Her own magic was using an object to summon someone else to do magic. His was by far better.

They reached the town just as night was falling, where there had been no people before now held dozens who were helping to clear the rubble from the streets. Pretty soon they were noticed, fingers pointed and some even called out their thanks. A tall, thin man with a fairly large moustache approached them before they made it to the center of the town.

"Welcome back, slayers, and a very large thank you for getting rid of our little problem. I have your payment here," He handed Lucy a rather heavy envelope before continuing, "As well as a room in our inn and a meal free of charge. It's the least we can do for you. I'm afraid I must stay and help with the clean up for at least a little while longer, however you will find The Boar's Wing straight ahead. Tell Mellyora I sent you and she'll see you situated. Thank you both again, it is greatly appreciated." The man gave a slight bow and then moved to help a man struggling with a piece of rubble.

Lucy watched him walk some distance away before she opened the envelope and peered inside. It was brimming with jewels. She felt such accomplishment and pride well up in her chest. Natsu's pink head appeared beside her as he peered in too. "Feels good doesn't it? To help people?" She nodded, smiling.

Making their way to the inn they were greeted by a plump older woman, who came around the counter and gave them both hugs and kisses to the cheek when she heard who they were. "Bless you both, I was afraid that baby would destroy our whole town before someone came to take him home. I have your room all ready and dinner is still hot, I'll bring up a tray shortly." She handed Lucy a key. "Go up the stairs, first on the left. Let me know if you need anything else." She bustled away then and the two of them headed for the room.

It was nice, spacious but not overly large. There was a bathroom to the left of the door as well as a few chairs to sit in and a table. The biggest problem though, was one bed. Had they thought the two of them were a couple? Lucy's cheeks warmed and she glanced over at Natsu who seemed more interested in checking out the view from the large windows than worrying over sleeping arrangements.

"He destroyed more than I thought he had, looks like a good half of the town is gone." He was frowning, but when he turned back to her it faded. "Good thing we got here before it was all turned into a rocky playground."

Lucy nodded, settling down in one of the chair she blurted out, "So how are we going to do this? There's only one bed." Natsu looked over at the offending piece of furniture as if he hadn't noticed it yet. "Oh, well you can take it, I'll sleep in one of the chairs. I've slept worse places." He dropped down into the other chair and wiggled a bit, "Ah, comfy." She couldn't stop the giggle that rose in her throat and he grinned at her. Mellyora knocked on the door then and brought in a large tray laden with food. The two of them stood up and went to the table to see what the older woman had brought. Two huge bowls of stew, some buttered bread, some sort of juice and slices of strawberry shortcake for desert. Lucy felt a smile tug at her lips because she thought of how much Erza would like this meal. Turning back to Mellyora she thanked her, handing her one of the smaller jewels from her reward. The woman's face lit up and she curtsied before bustling out of the room.

By the time she had finished speaking to the other woman and turned back to where Natsu sat at the table, she saw he'd already finished, and was eyeing her bowl. Rolling her eyes she smacked his hand away when he tried to subtly sneak her piece of bread. Rubbing his hand he made a face at her. She ignored him and settled in to eat. Everything was amazing, she ate half the stew and all of the bread and cake. She offered the rest of her stew to Natsu, whose eyes lit up and he downed it in seconds.

She was a bit nervous, now that they'd finished eating and the time to sleep had come. How was she supposed to undress with him in the room? It would be weird to sleep in her clothes. He didn't seem to have any issues. Whipping off his vest he tossed it at the other chair, then pulled off his scarf to use as a makeshift pillow. He looked over at her with a half smile, "Night Luce." She had to stop staring, that vest really covered a lot of skin, damn he was built well. She tore her eyes away, embarrassed at the direction of her thoughts. "Night Natsu."

Lucy crawled into the bed and removed her clothes there, down to her underwear. All the while she kept checking to see if he was watching, of course he wasn't. He was snoring away, with Happy in his lap. That cat had a knack for disappearing and reappearing without anyone noticing. For a while she was too on edge to sleep, but eventually the events of the day caught up with her and she drifted off. When she woke up in the morning she sat up, forgetting for a moment where she was and who she shared the room with. As the fog of sleep cleared she remembered and pulled the blanket up to cover her chest, but a look to the chair he had slept in showed her he wasn't there. Getting up Lucy quickly put her clothes back on, not knowing when he'd return. He entered the room about ten minutes later and carried their breakfast. Both ate quickly so they could start the journey home.

As soon as he realized how she planned to get home he started complaining, "Aw Luce, not the train! I get motion sickness!"

Lucy couldn't help but grin, "So I've heard, but it's the fastest way back. We'll be there by this afternoon rather than tomorrow. You can make it for a few hours."

He still grumbled and Happy flew along beside them as they boarded the train. Once seated she asked, "So how did I do for my first job?" He was looking out the window, just waiting for the train to start moving, but he turned back to answer her.

"Not bad, you could have been a bit more brave in the face of danger, but that will come with experience." The train lurched forward then and his face turned instantly green. "I don't... Feel so good..." She could hear the rumble in his stomach and she was trying not to laugh at the same time she felt sorry for him.

"Here, lay down." She patted her lap and when he obliged by placing his head there she started playing with his hair, threading her fingers through the spiky pink locks. He was still green for the duration of the trip, but he seemed to handle it better when he was lying down. She'd have to remember that for the next time they took the train.

They got home by late afternoon, but when the train stopped Natsu still didn't move. "We're home." She told him, but he just groaned.

"Give me a minute."

She waited, continuing to play with his hair. They stayed so long an attendant came by and told them if they wanted off they'd have to go now, as the train was about to leave again. Reluctantly Natsu sat back up, his face was a more normal shade now and by the time they were both on the station's platform he looked much better.

"I hate trains" Was the only thing he said. They walked slowly back through town on the way to the guild. They didn't say much but the silence was comfortable. Happy had disappeared again, but that wasn't at all surprising. Once they reached the canal she convinced him to walk along the edge with her and just like every other time, the men riding in boats called out for them not to fall.

When they reached the guild they could hear people shouting from where they stood outside. Glancing at each other, Natsu pushed open the door. Not one voice was discernable as everyone yelled, once more Lucy looked at Natsu before she raised her voice and asked,

"What's going on?"

The entire place quieted as they turned to the returning guild members. A voice that was full of authority, yet gentle, came from the area of the bar.

"We received word of a dragon causing quite a bit of trouble to the north. He's destroyed three remote towns so far and left no one alive. It was only discovered recently what had been done. I've sent Elfman and Evergreen to put an end to the dragon, but some here question my choice." The voice belonged to Makarov, the master of Fairy Tail.

"If he's that dangerous, why didn't you send Gajeel or Wendy? Why didn't you wait for me to get back?" Natsu asked, fire in his eyes at the news of this dragon wreaking havoc.

"This dragon is dangerous yes, but we don't know for certain that ridding the lands of this problem requires someone with the skills the three of you possess. The towns are so remote they wouldn't have had a chance to ask for help, if Elfman and Evergreen are unsuccessful in killing him, then I will consider sending one of you."

Natsu didn't look to pleased with the masters choice, but he said nothing. He respected the master and any decisions he made, regardless of his own feelings on the matter. Everyone else seemed to be in the same boat, wishing they had been the ones to go. The mood was tense and everyone was silent, but then suddenly one of the guilds younger members, Romeo, stepped forward and presented a large dragon egg to Natsu.

"My dad and I found this today. There was no mother and no place it could have come from. I think someone tried to steal it but then maybe changed their minds." He told Natsu, handing him the egg. "I thought maybe you could take this to Lisanna, since she helps hatch them and all."

Natsu smiled at the younger man, "Thanks, Romeo. Sounds like a good idea to me." His eyes found Lucy and he asked, "What do you say? Up for a trip to the dragon nursery?"

Lucy was thrilled. She had wanted to see the place where Lisanna worked, to see all the different types of dragons in one place. Not to mention it was the perfect opportunity to further her plans of getting the two of them together. So with a big grin she said, "Definitely"

Natsu's smile broadened, "It's settled then, We're going to the Capital."

* * *

So there it is, again I hope I didn't disappoint too much. I promise the darkness is coming, I just wanted to establish even more of a relationship between Natsu and Lucy before it gets tested. What will happen when they get to the capital? Will Lucy succeed in pushing Lisanna and Natsu together? Will the oddities in Natsu's behaviour get worse? Tune in next week to find out!

Lilith Mey

Thank you to all who reviewed! You make writing so much better!

 **Crimsonlink310** : Yes he was just a background character for the rest of the books. A few things she developed with him but in his book she was planning to delve deeper, instead she's now learning he has a whole personality she didn't write. Of course he helped them with their missions and with getting them together, he wouldn't be Natsu otherwise! I love cliffhangers and this mission just sort of popped into being while I was talking about ideas with my sister. I'm really grateful she's around to help me edit and proofread. I'me excited for it to get darker too, just hope it doesn't turn some people off.

 **Johnny Spectre** : I award you bonus points for being so very very close to the mark on what was happening.

 **ashinksy** : You should be worried for Natsu! It's going to get worse! I do love the character of Lisanna and I was extremely happy that she wasn't actually dead. She's the perfect friend for both Natsu and Lucy, but it's going to be fun seeing Lucy try and shove them together. Can't wait to write it. I'm glad you like the slow build of their relationship. One of the reasons I started writing my own fic was because I felt so many of them went too fast in putting them together. It feels rushed and a bit forced. I only hope others enjoy it as much as we do! I'm so glad you're enjoying the story so much and I hope you love it all the way until the end!

 **The Vampire Queen Lori** : Didja like it? Are you on pins and needles for the next chapter?

 **Kurohime** : I update once a week! I cannot promise more than this! I must give all readers a chance to see it before I publish more goodness! What's your theory on the goings on with Natsu? I'd love to hear what you're thinking about what's happening. I hope you don't find Lucy lacking for long. Because she's come from a different world she's not as used to using magic as in the manga. She'll get there! I'm glad you like it and I hope I don't disappoint!

 **Guest** : Yay I updated! lol

 **Chattrekisses** : Haha well thank you, I always did think I was quite the genius. It's a concept I've loved for so many books I've read and I thought with Lucy being a writer this was the perfect setting to place it in! I can't wait to see where it goes either! I've got the main ideas all planned out but stuff in between, well that's always a big ol ball of up in the air lol. I don't plan on abandoning it either so you don't have to worry there!

 **BruceWolf** : Love you baby, glad you like it. (For anyone else reading this, tis my husband lol)

 **Sarara1.8** : Thanks! Hope it stays that way!

 **DantespardallV** : Thank you so much!

 **Caslspirit15** : NaLu is indeed the best! But what fun would it be without a bit of angst and humour? Also I decree there shall be more cliffhangers!


	5. Chapter 5

This one was sooo much fun to write, but also used some brain power. Trying to think of dragon abilities is hard! We meet Lisanna and get to see the place where she works. The drama of matchmaking begins! Hope you all enjoy it and as always, please review!

Disclaimer: Only the ideas are mine, not the characters.

* * *

Natsu had intended for them to leave the next day, but the journey to the capital would be a long one and Lucy wanted to stay and see some of the sights while they were there, so they needed more jewels than what they had just earned on the rock baby job. They took simple, nearby jobs that helped Lucy to get more comfortable with her spirits but also paid a decent amount. One was Natsu helping to keep the peace between one dragon, who had an affinity for eating sheep, and the town he was raiding. Another was Lucy assuring a small farming family that the nearby dragon with ability to cloak wasn't causing the mess found on the farm, it was the husband when he was sleepwalking. It was another two weeks before Lucy felt they had enough to have a comfortable trip.

His strange behaviour continued all through the time they were working, she was woken one night to the sound of the door slamming against the wall and saw his retreating form running into the woods. He didn't return until nearly noon the next day, his clothes were rumpled and covered in dirt. His face and hair weren't much better. She asked him about it but he only smiled and tried to pass it off as sleepwalking, the idea she was sure came from their recent job. Lucy let it go for now, not wanting to press, but knew that sooner or later he'd have to tell her what was going on with him. Whatever it was, she didn't want him going through it alone.

During the couple weeks they stayed, Mira had given birth to a beautiful baby girl they named Aria. She had both her parents colouring and it was a really interesting combination. Lucy spent some time with her, washing clothes and preparing meals. Letting her nap while she held the baby. Laxus tried to help, but he was really clueless when it came to things like changing diapers and burping. Still, the way he looked at his little girl told Lucy he was going to be an amazing father. He'd just need practice. An extra couple of days was spent packing the necessities for the trip, clothes, toiletries, stuff to do on the train. Natsu watched her and asked why she needed all this stuff to travel, she knew he usually just roughed it and of course never changed his clothes. She wasn't at all like that and told him she liked to be clean and have options. He still looked at her like she had a third eye and just shrugged.

The morning of their trip arrived and though Natsu had known they would be travelling by train, he once more complained the entire way to the station about it. The journey would take them three days and he really wasn't looking forward to being motion sick for that amount of time. Boarding the train she secured the egg while he placed the luggage in the racks. Immediately after she sat down he grumbled and put his head in her lap, grabbing her hand and placing it on his head, then crossing his arms; waiting for the motion of the train to begin. She laughed softly and complied by playing with his hair, and the second the train began to move he groaned and pressed his face into her leg. She could practically see the sweat begin to form on his face. She spent some of the journey reading, the books from this world were so much different than the ones back home. Fantasy there was reality here, and almost nothing from her world existed even in their fiction. The worlds history was another source of interest for her, from the founding of the guilds and the beginnings of magic, to the cohabitation with the dragons that lived on the lands and in the air, she loved it all.

Sometimes Lucy would try and distract Natsu by telling him more about the Magnolia where she grew up, though she never gave the town a name. She talked about her parents, what they were like, the house she grew up in. Very carefully she even talked about the stories she wrote. Sometimes she wasn't even sure he was listening, but then he'd ask a question when she paused. It came out sounding like he'd throw up in the same breath, but he never did and she always answered.

Once a day Lucy would hoist Natsu off the bench to make sure he took care of nature and got a little fresh air. He mostly spent that time bent over the railing between the two cars, but at least he wasn't stifled inside. At night she'd shift in the seat and actually end up lying in front of Natsu, his arm would curl around her middle and his face pressed into her hair. It was extremely nice, comfortable, and she may have thought he took it was something other than a life line to try and escape the nausea, if he didn't groan and say "I think I'm going to be sick" at least 10 times during the night.

When they finally reached the capital and Natsu had recovered enough to actually leave the train, he ran to the center of the station and got down on his knees to kiss the filthy floor. She was yelling at him to get up when a white haired woman approached the two of them with a smile and said,

"Still can't handle the train can you Natsu?"

His head immediately popped up to look at the woman and he broke out into a grin. He jumped up and scooped her into a hug, then set her away from him. "Hey Lisanna, been a while! Didn't think you'd actually meet us at the station!"

She laughed and hugged him back, "You said you had a friend coming to the capital with you, I wanted to be sure you remembered where you were going. Not to mention the egg. I wanted to make sure it actually makes it to the nursery without getting broken."

He glared in her direction, "You break something on the way out of the station one time..."

Still grinning Lisanna held out her hand to Lucy, "It's so nice to meet you, Natsu told me you're new to the guild; and a Celestial wizard! I don't think the we've ever had one. You'll have to introduce me to your spirits while you're here." She glanced over to the egg that was carefully covered and placed in a cart, "May I?" She asked Lucy, and when Lucy nodded she knelt down beside the egg and removed the cloth. "It's beautiful, I can't wait to find out what type of dragon is in here." The egg was quite large, nearly as tall as both the girls and about twice as wide, the shell was cream in colour with spots and swirls in varying shades of green marking it. Lisanna took over the care of the egg then and the three of them made their way to the dragon nursery.

Once there she left the egg in the care of one of the incubation workers, letting Natsu and Lucy watch as it was weighed, measured, and carefully placed in a blanket lined bed underneath a powerful light. Afterwards she led the two of them to the facilities dormitory.

"A couple of our workers are out investigating a sighting of an unguarded clutch, so we have two empty rooms at the moment. I don't think they'd mind the both of you using them while they're gone. Hope you don't mind that they're adjoining." Lisanna smiled as she lead them inside one of the rooms. It wasn't small, but not large either. It fit a twin bed comfortably and had a place for a table and chairs, as well as a large desk and dresser. The connecting door was off to the side and when it was opened it revealed the other room. "You both are welcome to decide who sleeps where and there's a shared bathroom at the end of the hall. I'll let you guys get settled a bit and come back in a half hour, it's nearly dinner time." She glanced at Natsu with a grin, who after three days of travel and only water to keep him hydrated, was of course, starving. His stomach had been letting both women know since they left the train station.

Lucy approached Lisanna with a smile, "Thank you, it's so nice of you to let us stay here! The rooms are perfect."

"Glad you like them. I'll be back soon!" She left with a wave and Lucy turned back to Natsu, who had already claimed the closest bed, laying on it with arms and legs spread.

"This one is good."

Lucy laughed and made her way into the other room, beginning to unpack. A few minutes later Natsu came into the room and sat on her bed, just watching as she put some clothes into one of the emptied out drawers.

"Do you really need all that stuff for only a few days?" He seemed confused by the fact she had brought along so many clothes, as well as books and a hairbrush, her shower stuff.

"Yes of course, I like to be clean you know, and if I get bored I can always read a book! It's what I did on the way here, seeing as though I had a helpless dragon slayer draped across my lap."

He made a face at her and got up to explore the bag, pulling stuff out and examining it before throwing it on the bed. "Did you bring anything for me or is it all yours?" He pulled out one of her bras and raised his eyebrows at the size. She let out a little squeak and grabbed it from him, her cheeks stained red. She pointed at another bag on the floor, "That one is yours, take it to your room and put stuff in the drawers."

He shrugged and did as she instructed, though he managed to unfold everything and just shove it inside the dresser. She turned as he was doing this and sighed, determined to fix it later.

Lisanna returned a few minutes later and led them to the dining hall. As they walked across the facility they saw multiple buildings of varying sizes, heard the cries of more than one dragon. Natsu's eyes sparkled at being so close to dragons and Lucy felt a bit giddy at being able to see so many different kinds all in one place. Lisanna saw their expressions and grinned.

"After dinner I'll take you on a quick tour of the place, then tomorrow we'll visit with the dragons. You'll even get to see the babies. Most people don't get to do that. Good thing you know someone on the inside."

The dining hall was fairly large, big enough to hold about 200 people. The walls were painted with various types of dragons either flying or playing and Lisanna commented, "Reedus did the murals in here, he really is an amazing artist. These are all some of our dragons, not all are still here though."

They sat down at a table with a few other people, who greeted them with a smile. Dinner was filled with stories about dragons they had found, their rehabilitation and reintroduction to the wild, or about the antics of the babies. They were all laughing by the end of the meal. Lisanna took them on a quick tour after that. They saw the nursery, where most of the babies were sleeping, but the nocturnal ones were just getting started. They saw the rehab clinic, where dragons with different illnesses or injuries were getting care. The incubation room, where abandoned eggs, for whatever reason, were being cared for and warmed until they hatched. There was a research lab, attached to a med lab, where tests were conducted to determine not only the health and age of the dragons here, but how to counteract the effects of some dragon's abilities. Whether it plays with the mind or affects the body. They saw the Nest room next, where all the permanent dragons stayed. They stopped just inside the door but Lucy was in awe at how many lived here and how large they were at fully grown. A few of the dragons looked over but none interacted with them, it was late and they were settling down for the night. Tomorrow would be different, they'd meet most of them and hear their stories. The last stop on the tour was to show them the open area where all the dragons played and flew. The adult dragons were free to leave if they wanted, but they always came back. Staying here was their choice, they wanted to help educate the humans on their species. The field area was mostly for the babies and younger dragons learning to fly and for the injured to get exercise. The only other place to see was the administration building, but they opted out of that. Lisanna took them back to their dorm and said goodnight.

"If you need anything, go right at the end of the hall, I'm the fourth door down on the left. Have a good sleep guys, it's going to be a busy day tomorrow!" She grinned and waved as she left.

Natsu followed Lucy into her room and sat down on the bed while she got out what she needed to get ready for bed, he watched for a moment before asking,

"So what do you think of the place? I haven't been here in a couple years, a lot has changed. It's gotten bigger! This place is on the outskirts of the capital and goes waaaaay into the surrounding forests and mountain area. It'd have to right? Since it has dragons?"

Lucy smiled, tossing her pj's on the bed and going back for her toothbrush. "I love this place, I can't wait to meet the dragons tomorrow. They're so big! So many different kinds! I can't believe I didn't write about..." She cut off, thinking once again to how she had created this world, put dragons in it, but only thought about a few specific kinds of dragons since they were going to be interacting with her characters. She looked back to Natsu, who had a half smile on his face. "What?"

"You're doing it again, saying stuff that makes no sense. Didn't write about what?"

She flushed a bit and shook her head, "Never mind, it's not important."

He raised a brow but just shrugged and got off the bed, "Guess I'll let you get ready, see you in the morning." He gave her shoulder a little bump with his own and walked back into his room, the door stayed open.

Lucy went to the end of the hall and showered before she did her nightly routine. Once she had brushed her teeth and put on her pj's she padded barefoot back to the room. Her thoughts turned to Natsu and Lisanna, both of them being in the same place was the perfect opportunity for her to get them together. She could start tomorrow when they interacted with the dragons, but she felt like there would need to be a time outside of the facility since Natsu would be distracted with everything going on. This required thought, and planning. She fell asleep with ideas swirling in her head and woke the next morning by a tickle under her nose. Wiggling the offending part of her face she opened her eyes to see Happy's blue fur in her vision. Smiling she sat up and began to pet the cat, who pushed his head against her leg and purred.

"I thought that was a better way to wake up than me coming in here announcing you should get out of bed so we can go see the dragons." Natsu was already dressed for the day, leaning against the doorway between their two rooms. He had put on one of the few outfits Lucy had been able to get him to buy that weren't his standard. Black billowing pants instead of white, and a flared top with only one arm sleeved, also black. His hair was even messier than usual but he looked incredibly handsome, and while her heart quickened just a bit, her mind went to how Lisanna would react seeing him.

"Much better, thank you." She picked up Happy and snuggled him to her face briefly before setting him back on the bed and getting up. She yawned and went to grab clothes for the day, aware that Natsu was still watching her move around the room. She turned back to him and raised a brow, "Did you need something?"

"No, just waiting."

"Well wait in your room, I've got to change." He gave her a cheeky grin that made her blush and she went over and pushed him into his room, he was laughing as she slammed the door. She knew he did it on purpose just to get a rise out of her, but damn if it didn't work every time. Ten minutes later she was dressed in a plain t-shirt and shorts with her hair pulled back off her face. She opened the door between the rooms again and saw him absently staring out the window and petting Happy, who was curled up in his lap.

"I'm ready!" He didn't even turn as she entered the room, or when she spoke. Approaching him she noticed a discoloration on his neck. She bent to get a better look.

"Do you even look in a mirror before you leave the house in the morning?" She was exasperated, but then she looked closer and realized, it was blood. How did he get blood on his neck? Where did it come from? She began to reach for his neck and wipe it away but her wrist was caught in a bruising grip. Her eyes flew up to his and she saw his golden orbs were replaced with the red she had only seen once before. His top lip was curled back slightly and he growled. Lucy felt a shock of fear through her body and tried to tug her hand away. He wouldn't let go. Thankfully, Lisanna came knocking just then and it seemed to shake him from whatever it was that transformed his eyes and personality. He blinked and the topaz colouring returned. Then looked down to where he held her wrist and immediately let go, his expression one of remorse.

"Ready to see the dragons?" The bubbly woman was unaware of the tension in the room as she came in. Dressed in shorts and a blouse that had cap shoulders, her short white hair brushed straight around her face. She really was lovely, it shouldn't be that hard to get the two of them together. She glanced over at Natsu but he had a pensive look on his face, so Lucy replied instead.

"Of course we are! Lead the way!"

After a quick breakfast they went to visit the larger dragons first, most were out of the nesting area and in the wide open field. They lazed around, sunning themselves or shook the ground with their conversations. Lisanna led them over to a blue dragon who's scales shimmered like water in the sun. It made sense, considering she was introduced as Hydratia, a water dragon. Lucy was fascinated when Lisanna asked her to show off a bit. The large female stood up and flapped her wings, little droplets of water much like rain came from beneath and showered the three of them. Lucy shrieked a bit at getting wet but she was still laughing as Natsu yelled, "Awesome!" Obviously she had tamped down her abilities for them and when she needed to, could probably wash away any opponent. Hydratia told them a bit about herself. She was originally from an island to the south, but a storm had broken one of her legs and punctured a wing. Unable to hunt for food and reach water, she had been dehydrated. She had been brought here to heal and in the end decided to stay.

The next dragon Lisanna led them to was named Memorga, he was a defense type dragon, though some argued he was offensive. His power was one which made you black out for a few minutes or even hours, then do whatever he suggested you do. When you regained control again, you could be in a completely different place or position, having no memory of how you got there or how much time had passed. It was argued as an offensive magic because the dragon could use it to place your life in mortal danger if they chose to. Luckily Memorga had sense of humour instead. He looked Natsu in the eye and they could see his face go slack, eyes never straying from the large silver coloured dragon. It was suggested he walk to the nest area and bury himself in some straw. The three of them watched him walk towards the nests, unaware that he got in between two dragons wrestling. Lucy felt a moment of panic but he made it there unscathed. Lisanna and Lucy then grinned up at Memorga and thanked him for the demonstration.

The two women made their way to meet a two headed, multi coloured dragon. Their names were Gravin and Grava. They had been found as an egg, their nest destroyed by fire. They had been saved by their mother, who covered them with her body. The two of them controlled the gravity around them. Gravin could make you as light as air, send you flying into the sky. While Grava could increase your gravity until you were unable to move with the weight of your own body. Lucy was in the middle of being lifted high into the air when Natsu came back over and asked how he ended up in a pile of straw. Both Lucy and Lisanna burst out laughing, neither one of them telling him how it happened. Lisanna suggested he go back to Memorga and ask him. He did, and ended up right back in one of the nests. He did it once more before he wised up that his memory was being played with.

They spent a bit more time speaking to a number of the adult dragons before heading to a different area of the field where workers were doing their best to keep the baby's and younger dragons corralled as they played. Breaking up any fights that started and making sure they didn't fly too high. Some of the babies recognized Lisanna and came flying over to greet her. The ones that had already gained their voices called her name and asked her to play with them. The woman couldn't say no and she was quickly led off.

"She's really great isn't she?" Lucy asked Natsu, they both watched as Lisanna ran around with a piece of rock, the object was keep it away as long as you could from the rest. Against each other the dragons used their magic, but they were gentle with Lisanna and merely lifted her up, or wrapped around her. It was a good way to teach them that humans were more fragile and they could do harm without realizing.

"Yeah," Natsu smiled over at Lucy, "She's got a big heart, without her and the other people here, most of these dragons wouldn't be alive right now. I'm glad Happy and I could help her find what she wanted to do with her life."

"How come you don't visit her more? It sounds like you miss her when she's here." Lucy commented.

"The train, remember? I put up with it only when I have to, she comes home twice a year for a couple weeks. We hang out then. Elfman and Mira come often though. Lisanna will probably come home soon to see the baby." Natsu was now watching the antics in the field, Lucy thought for a moment he was watching the other woman, it made her both happy and a bit deflated. She had to stop these feelings, they weren't doing her any good.

"That'll be nice, the three of them together again." Lucy managed to get out.

"Yeah," He was definitely distracted now, "Hey Luce, are you ok here?"

She blinked, "I'm fine, why?" He just grinned and ran full tilt for the dragons. Lisanna tossed him the rock and he started to run around with it. The baby's soon learned that they could be a little rougher with him, and they oo'd and aww'd over the fact he could sprout fire from his body. Lisanna went on the offensive shortly after and she and Natsu started to more or less play the game by themselves. She changed into a bird and flew away but he just lit fire on his feet and soared up to grab hold of her, bringing them to the ground so he could wrestle it away. She turned into a giant bunny then and wide eyed he ran, but she sat on him. They had to call a truce so the dragons could play again and soon Lisanna headed back over to Lucy, to get out of the way of the rough play now going on between the slayer and the dragons. Natsu was striking out at the baby's, gently, and they did so back as they vied for the rock. Fire, water, sand, wind, gravity; all came into play. Lisanna was panting a bit, but smiling as she stood beside Lucy.

"I swear he has more power than common sense, but that's why he fits in so well here; with the children." The two women grinned at each other.

"Yeah, he's pretty child like sometimes, but that's what's nice about him. He sees things differently from most and sometimes it makes things a whole lot easier, and sometimes, so much harder. Like shopping."

Lisanna burst out laughing, her hand placed on Lucy's arm. "You didn't! Oh man that must have been an experience. I went with him once and swore never again. He and Happy smashed a crystal display when we were shopping for a wedding gift for Mira and Laxus. Cost me way too much to make the shop keeper from telling master. What he does with all the jewels from the jobs he goes on I'll never know."

Lucy just shook her head, they watched Natsu and the baby's for a while and eventually the dragons started to get tired and lagged behind in the game. Natsu was still full of energy though and ran back over to the two of them, his eyes sparkled as his chest heaved and he asked Lisanna.

"Do you think one of the older dragons would want to spar with me? It'd be fun! Maybe the water dragon! Fire and water, should be fun!" Lisanna rolled her eyes and took him back over to Hydratia, the dragon complied and he spent the next few hours sparring, taking on different dragons after Hydratia had fully doused him.

While Natsu was distracted elsewhere, Lisanna brought Lucy to see the very newborn dragons. They ranged in size from fitting into the crook of her arm, to stretching out beside her like a big dog. She helped feed them, some big jugs of milk, others berries, and still others chunks of meat. Lucy rubbed their tummy's and played with them, the happy little noises they made her heart melt. She could have stayed there all day. She and Lisanna broke off around noon and tried to get Natsu to come eat something, but he was too distracted with his dragon battles and didn't even hear them. The two women just shrugged and spent some time getting to know each other. They got along well and Lucy knew she had just made a friend for life. After lunch was finished they came back and sat off to the side to just watch Natsu. A few of the younger dragons came over to nap around them. All making various noises that ranged from adorable to hilarious as they slept.

It was dinner time before Natsu finally wore down, and after thanking all the dragons the three of them made their way back to the dining hall. Lisanna had apparently warned the kitchen about his appetite because there was way more food than the night before. Good thing too, since Natsu had missed lunch and worked up a furious appetite sparring with the fully grown dragons. He ate most of what was there, Lisanna and Lucy letting him take his fill. During the meal Lucy asked if Lisanna might show her around the city the next day, she was eager to see it all. It was agreed they'd go on a tour and even to the amusement and water park.

After dinner it was apparent all the activity was catching up to Natsu, he was starting to droop. His steps slowed and his eyes were half shut. They said goodnight to Lisanna and Lucy dragged him to the showers since she didn't want to smell him for the rest of the night. Turning on the water she shoved him in the direction of the spray and went back to their rooms. She changed into her pj's while he was gone and got into bed. He didn't even say goodnight when he came back into the room, more asleep than awake. He flopped onto the bed, still in his towel and she heard snoring in seconds. Happy jumped up on the bed and curled up around the top of his head. Lucy rolled her eyes and snuggled down under the blankets. She hadn't been able to do much today in the way of match making, tomorrow though, she'd make some headway.

With a satisfied smile she closed her eyes, and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The next chapter is going to be so much fun. Designing rides with magic and touring a big city, and of course, more matchmaking. Please let me know what you thought about this chapter and thank you to all who reviewed the last. You make my world go 'round.

 **Guest** : I thought about your idea, I really did, but I think clueless on both sides is even better. Only Lucy is scheming lol

 **Crimsonlink310** : My goodness you always give me so much to think about. Yes Evergreen and Elfman's mission plays a big part with Natsu, but how? I guess when I thought about them getting together too soon it wasn't in the romantic respect but as you said, they like each other but everything seems to keep them apart. It just feels stagnant somehow. Repetitive since I see it everywhere. I don't feel like i'm explaining that right but I hope you get it. Your idea to outline was a really good one, I had only thought a few chapters in advance, I'm still working on how many chapters it will be but I'm thinking around 15 or so. We'll see once I get it all laid out. Thank you for your advice and helping me to become a better writer :)

 **ToastedWeirdBrain** : I thought so too! I'm glad you like it!

 **Chattrekisses** : Thank you so much! I'm really trying, this anime means a lot to me and I try so hard to do justice to the characters Mashima created.

 **Rawrlikerue** : Did it live up to all you hoped it would be?

 **Godzilla327** : Yay! That makes me happy!

 **Kill Lisanna** : Always cliffhangers, I live for them.


	6. Chapter 6

Wow ok so this one ended up being really long. I had so much I wanted to get in and I hope you all still love it anyway. As we were all expecting, Lucy's matchmaking begins! But also towards the end, content finally lives up to it's M rating so please be aware of that. I am once again blown away by how many people are now following this story! 87 people! 34 favourites! I'm completely honoured by this! Anyway I'll stop talking now and let you guys get to the good stuff! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Mashima is the genius, not me.

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The next morning it was Lucy who was waking up Natsu, who was apparently still tired from his activities of the day before. He was groaning and batting her hand away as she shook his shoulder.

"Come on Natsu! It's time to get up. Lisanna and I have already had breakfast and waited as long as we could. It's after 10 already, we won't get to see much if we don't leave soon."

Natsu finally sighed and rolled over, his hair mussed from sleep and his eyes still half shut. "Alright, alright, I'm getting up. Don't have to yell."

She rolled her eyes and turned away from him. He was still in that towel and seeing all that skin did strange things to her insides. She waited in her room for him and when he was finally dressed and ready to go, another 20 minutes had passed. She picked up the small bag she had packed for the day and grabbed his arm, dragging him to where Lisanna waited at the front of the facility.

"About time! Did you have to douse him with water? I've had to do that before, especially when he overexerts himself the day before." Lisanna gave him a pointed look and he very childishly stuck his tongue out back at her.

Lucy watched the two of them interact and didn't know whether to be encouraged or deterred by their behaviour. They had grown up together and so it should be easier to get them together, since they knew everything about each other; and yet it may be harder for precisely the same reason. After a quick stop by the dining hall for Natsu, they started the day with a walking tour of some of the sights. They visited the huge Cathedral first, which Lucy adored because of all the stain glass windows. When they entered, as if by unspoken agreement, each of the women linked an arm with Natsu while they walked, he tried to pull away.

"What are you guys doing?" He asked as they held on tight.

"You have a tendency to break things" Lucy started.

"And this is a church" Lisanna added. "We're just... Making sure everything stays in one piece."

"And in the place it's supposed to be in." Lucy finished while Natsu glared at them both, but he quit fighting them.

The artwork was beautiful. Stain glass windows depicted both humans and dragons, as well as simple Earthland scenery. The colours were cast upon the stone floor as the sun filtered through them. The stonework was sculpted into swirling arcs and designs that made the whole Cathedral feel peaceful somehow, which of course would be exactly what was wanted by the Bishops. A few stone busts depicted deceased members of the church and were placed along a long hallway to the right of the main entrance. They didn't linger long here and when they left neither one of them let go of his arms.

"So where to next?" Lucy asked, all of them blinking in the sudden sunlight.

"Well we're fairly close to the magic council, we can't go into the building without a scheduled appointment but we can look at it if you want." Lisanna offered.

"Sure why not, sounds interesting." Lucy smiled over at her, but Natsu made a face.

"Those guys are a pain in the ass, why would you want to see where all of them are at once? They see me there they'll find something to yell at me for." He was muttering.

"Well maybe if you were a bit more careful on your jobs they wouldn't have reason to chastise you so often." Lisanna countered. This made Natsu scowl and the two of them started to bickering back and forth about the way he did his jobs. Lucy took this opportunity to slip her arm from Natsu's and lag behind a couple steps. They may be fighting but at least they're interacting with each other. Neither one noticed while they fought that she wasn't right beside them anymore. Lucy made sure to stick close to them but she looked around at everything. It was bigger than Magnolia, but some things were still the same. There were people everywhere, shops, children playing, even a few animals wound around the people as they searched out scraps of food that might be dropped. They arrived at the magic council building and she was amazed at the sight.

"It's kind of... Flashy." Lucy commented, staring up at the building. It had jewels and precious metals laid against the stone to depict epic scenes of the council as they deliberated all the goings on around Earthland. In the center, just above the entrance way was the huge crest of the council. Created in onyx, it resembled the Egyptian Ankh.

Lisanna laughed and Natsu rolled his eyes, "They're the council, they have to make a great show of wealth and power so people know not to cross them." Lisanna said as an explanation.

"Still... It could have been put to better use than showing us 6 dragons and 6 humans sitting around a giant orb." Lucy commented.

"That's the Lacrima they use to spy on everyone with." Natsu said as he glared up at the stone building.

"They don't spy... Well sort of. They more... Monitor." Lisanna said tactfully.

"That's what people who spy on you say." Natsu muttered.

Lucy laughed, "How about we move on. Where else is a good place to go around here?" They went to a few other places of interest, old shops, the open air food market and even a tavern. The city was amazing, so full of laughter and voices, but while she did enjoy it, she much preferred the peacefulness of Magnolia. As they exited the tavern Lisanna said.

"There's one more place I wanted to take you Luce before we go to the amusement park, it's not exactly exciting, but for Natsu it's an important place, and I figured it might interest you." She led them through the winding streets. The noise eventually lessened and the homes and stores got smaller, until it tapered off into greenery. Trees and bushes, flowers and little benches to sit on. It was a park, but the atmosphere was a little... Quieter than that. Lisanna led them to where a great stone marker lay, smaller ones were lining a few pathways surrounding it. Lucy read the inscription and her eyes widened.

 _This stone marker is to commemorate the lives lost in the battle of Earthland. We will not forget those, be they human or dragon, who fought for the peace we have in our lands today._

The date at the bottom told Lucy the war had raged for nearly 300 years. She looked up at Lisanna to find her watching Natsu, who had moved closer to the monument and was touching the inscription. Lisanna came over to her and said quietly,

"Because he was raised by Igneel, who lived through the dragon wars, he's heard stories about the battles that raged. He knows the cruelty that was done and received by both sides. I know he wishes he had been alive back then to help in the fight, but I'm glad he wasn't. Being who he is I'm sure he would have given his life to save either a human or a dragon. He won't tell us about what Igneel told him, says it's not something you want to know, but as long as he remembers, it won't be forgotten. If it comes to another war someday, he and the other slayers trained by dragons will lend their voice to those still alive today from that time, and try to work towards another peace."

They watched Natsu and for a long while he didn't move, she and Lisanna could tell he was remembering. Lucy could see a flicker of red move in and out of his eyes, like it was wavering. Frowning she said to Lisanna,

"I think we need to go, it's not good for him to dwell." The other woman nodded and moved forward to tell Natsu they were leaving.

Lucy turned from the marker and stepped right into someone, she nearly lost her balance but large hands came out and steadied her.

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention." Lucy flushed slightly.

The man who smiled at her was around the same age, his hair was black and emerald green eyes sparkled with amusement, "It's not a problem, I'm used to ladies falling at my feet."

Lucy rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but smile. "I'm sure you are, that tends to happen when you bump into them."

"Excuse me, but you're the one who wasn't watching where they were going." He said laughing lightly.

"Well lets not play the blame game here, lets just both agree to watch where we're going next time alright?"

Grinning he replied, "Alright, I can agree to that."

The both stood around a little awkwardly for a moment before he asked, "Are you visiting for the first time too? I heard about the monument from the innkeeper and thought I'd come take a look."

Lucy looked over her shoulder to where Lisanna had her arm around Natsu, she was obviously trying to coax him into leaving. "Yeah, a friend of mine is taking me on a tour of the city." She turned back to him, "It's sad what happened, and for how long, before peace could be made between humans and dragons."

"Indeed it is, I'm glad for this time of peace and I hope it lasts, but both species are a bit fickle and... Well sometimes the slightest thing can set us all off."

Lucy was about to respond when Natsu appeared at her side.

"Who's this guy Lucy?" He asked, just a tad bit hostile.

"This is uh..." her brow furrowed, she hadn't asked his name.

"Alphonse" He bowed just slightly, "I caused the lady here to loose her balance, and she was soothing my ego by conversing with me."

Lucy laughed as Natsu scowled, "That's a polite way of saying I ran straight into him because I wasn't watching where I was going."

Alphonse shrugged, "I am nothing if not polite. It was a pleasure to meet you Lucy, I can see you and your friends are ready to move on. Enjoy the city." With a smile he moved around them and continued on up the steps to the monument.

Once he was out of earshot Lisanna commented, "Well he was handsome, look at you Lucy, flirting with random men."

Lucy flushed, "I wasn't flirting, just making conversation."

Lisanna's eyes sparkled, "I'm sure you were."

"Well I don't like him." Natsu said suddenly.

Both women looked at him but it was Lisanna who spoke, "He said all of two words to you, how can you decide whether or not you like him?"

"He smells weird and the way he talks... I don't like him." Natsu said, folding his arms across his chest.

Both women were exasperated and shook their heads, "Well I'm sure we'll never see him again so you don't have to like him now do you?" Lucy asked.

That seemed to make him happier because he smiled then. "Yeah, you're right. Come on, lets go to the amusement park!"

Both women followed him, they were getting their exercise today, it seemed that everywhere they wanted to go was on the opposite side of the city. Eventually they came upon the large red gates that proclaimed "Earthland Park". Dozens of people streamed through and up to the booths where you purchased your passes to both the amusement and water park. Lucy's eyes widened at the admission cost, but she paid for both herself and Natsu, glad that Lisanna had said she'd pay her own way.

It suddenly occurred to Lucy that they were about to go on rides, and that Natsu had motion sickness. Turning to where the two of them were putting on their day pass bracelets she asked,

"How does this work with Natsu's sickness?"

Natsu grinned and pointed to a decent sized tent behind her, "I go in there, the first aid tent. The nurse inside is there for minor injuries, but also for people like me. She casts Troya so we can enjoy the rides." He made his way over to the tent and came back out a few minutes later, giving them a thumbs up. "Good to go!"

They grabbed a map from the information kiosk and sat down on a bench to plot out where they were going to go. Lucy found it funny that even though he had a huge problem with motion sickness, Natsu's favourite rides were the roller coasters. As they discussed where they were going to go, Lucy's mind was also spinning with ways to push her two friends together. It had to be subtle, so she wasn't obvious, but she thought she'd figured out a fairly decent way to get them to spend a bunch of time together here at the park. With their course plotted out they folded the map and headed out.

Their first stop was a scary looking coaster, it had no track but the seats were visible and fit two. Lucy maneuvered behind her two friends so they were in one car while she was in the other. As soon as she was seated she started to freak out a little. Why was she doing this? There was no track, how did a roller coaster move without a track? As the ride started she gripped the safety bar, her heart was pounding and suddenly they were making a vertical ascent. Not like a normal coaster, but straight up. They hovered high above the park before the cars dipped to the right and started plummeting downward. Without knowing where the cars would go next it was absolutely terrifying, she was screaming her head off and clinging to the stranger next to her with a white knuckled grip. It went up and down, side to side, rolled and even did loops. By the time it came to an end she was glued to the seat and the girl next to her had to pry Lucy's hand away from her arm.

Lisanna and Natsu were laughing as they got out of their car and they looked back at her. Lisanna grinned, "I don't think she liked it too much."

Natsu threw his arm around Lucy and said, "Hey it wasn't that bad right? Not knowing where it's going to go makes it better!"

"Yeah, sure" Was all she could manage. The two of them wanted to ride it again and Lucy told them to go ahead, she would just wait over by the trees until they were done. She wanted them to spend more time together right? What better way than by riding a scary ass coaster? While they were gone she looked at the map, finding a few other things she wanted to see. There was a little oddities and rarities museum in the park with things from around Earthland many didn't get to see, or things no one could explain. There was also the prize booths, those were always romantic right? Win a stuffed animal for your sweetheart?

Lisanna and Natsu were back about 20 minutes later and let her pick where they went next. The next few hours were spent going on a bunch of rides. She was surprised to find out how many were like the ones back home. Of course they varied slightly, the teacups were mashed together with bumper cars where you got into turtle shells instead and you didn't control the spinning, you got spun and just ran into other shells until everyone stopped. They went on the Ferris wheel which was exactly the same, no matter the world you can't change a classic right? Every ride they went on she made sure that Natsu and Lisanna were paired together. She didn't think they noticed but every so often Natsu would give her a strange look. She either ignored it or asked him what was wrong, but he never replied.

She eventually convinced them to go into the rarity and oddity museum because she had never seen it. The place was amazing, she saw scales from a multi-hued dragon after a shedding. The shell of a golden dragon egg, they were endangered and fewer than 100 still existed. There were diaries from the war, letters too, from people on the front lines writing home. Books written in a language no one could read anymore, its secrets locked away forever. The oddities were pretty standard, a fish with three eyes, a mouse as big as a cat, but at the end of the exhibit there was a pedestal. People were crowded around it, the sign proclaimed, "Mystery object", and the description said it was found in the forests outside Hakobe mountain. There seemed to be buttons on it but they didn't do anything, and when the back of the object came off it looked like a maze. Lucy was curious as to what it was, but they had to wait for people to clear.

"This thing is freaky, it was found just about 2 years ago. No one knows what the hell it is." Lisanna said, she was standing on her toes and trying to get a look already.

"No one knows? Doesn't that seem a little strange? Surely it would have to be in some book or history somewhere right?" Lucy asked.

"No, they researched it for a while and no records could be found about it at all. Besides, it doesn't look aged at all. It's just... Weird." Natsu said, his eyes were lit up.

They got closer to it and Lucy was just about dying of curiosity, when they finally got up to the front she felt her excitement leap, but in about 3 seconds it was replaced with absolute astonishment. Without even thinking she said,

"A cell phone?" She was staring at it like it might jump out and bite her.

"Cell phone? What's a cell phone?" Lisanna asked, confusion in her voice.

"Lucy says the weirdest stuff sometimes. I don't know what goes on in her head, it's better just to ignore her ramblings." Natsu said as if he were the authority on such things.

Lucy was still staring at the cell phone, it was like white noise had drowned out everything around her. This was her world, one she had created, one that she alone had ever been to. Right? So how in the hell was she staring at a cell phone right now?

The people in line behind her started to protest that she was taking too long and the three of them had to move on. She decided to push her musings aside for another time and simply enjoy the rest of the day. Alone in bed tonight would be a better place to start freaking out. They went on to the game booths next. They were really cool, each game was different, but if you were a wizard the game was specially changed just for you. If the game was knocking down wooden blocks for someone without magic, someone with fire magic would then have one chance to unfreeze the block to win a prize. It worked against what you were able to do. Natsu asked Lucy what game they should play but she told Lisanna to pick instead. She picked one where you had to toss darts through a certain amount of rings to win a prize. When the vendor realized Natsu was a fire wizard he changed it up, Natsu now had to breath a hole through as many circles of ice as he could in 30 seconds. If he made more than 15 he won a prize, make more than 20 and you win the giant stuffed duck wearing a chef's hat.

Of course being Natsu, he took the challenge way too seriously and ended up blasting a hole through all 40 rings. For this the amazed vendor told him he could have the giant duck as well as the winged fish from the booth next to his. Grinning, a prize in each hand, he asked Lucy which one she wanted.

"Let Lisanna pick first!" Lucy said with a smile, Natsu's face showed his confusion again but he turned to let Lisanna pick.

"I'll take the fish, his wings look so floofy" She laughed.

Natsu presented the duck to her and as she was taking it he asked in a low voice, "Are you alright? You're acting weird today."

She raised a brow at him and pulled the duck from his grasp, "I'm fine, you're imagining things." He scowled at her but let it go.

From there they decided it was time to eat, they went to the food area where it housed so many booths from all around Earthland. Each place offering a dish unique to their corner of the world. Some of it was really gross, like the seafood with a million legs and eyes. Others were really yummy like the green fruit with little blue spots. They ate their fill and then decided to head over to the water park. She and Lisanna headed to the change room where they had stored their bag at the beginning of the day.

"Are you having fun Lucy? It feels like you're holding back a little today." Lisanna commented while they were changing.

"I'm having loads of fun! I just don't like roller coasters much it seems, especially ones with no track!" Lucy shuddered at the memory.

Lisanna grinned, "Well that's one of my favourites so I can't say I really understand it, but next time we won't go on that one. That thing in the museum really shook you. Did you actually recognize it?"

"What? No of course not, it's like nothing on Earthland right?" Lucy said with a little laugh, but the image of the cell phone lying in that case came back to her at that moment. It was really disturbing, not knowing where it came from. Who else could possibly be here?

Lisanna had to call her name a couple times before she heard it, her friend looked at her worriedly. "Are you absolutely sure you're ok? We can just head back if you're not up to it."

"No! No, I'm fine. Sorry, I was getting caught up in my own thoughts." She smiled sheepishly and the two of them walked out to find Natsu leaning against a tall tree near the beachy part of the water park.

"Finally!" He called, walking over to them. "Girls take forever to get changed." He glanced at Lucy and then at Lisanna before he turned and started marching towards the water. Lucy watched him as he went, there was all that skin again, and here were all those feelings she damn well shouldn't be having.

They followed him into the water, where he proceeded to swim and splash and be a general nuisance to everyone around him. The two women grabbed hold of him after he had splashed them and left them coughing up water. They each held one of his arms and dunked him under the water, dragging him backwards. He fought and kicked but they didn't let go until they ran out of air. They came up giggling while he came up sputtering.

"No fair! You can't gang up on me like that!" He shouted.

"Well stop splashing us then!" Lucy yelled back.

"It's a water park! You have to splash!" Natsu protested

"No you don't, you can just swim like a normal person" Lucy said, frustrated.

"You two are no fun" He crossed his arms, pouting.

"Why don't we go on some slides, that way you're basically splashing yourself when you get to the bottom." Lisanna suggested, they all agreed. The slides were fun, Lucy chose ones that dipped and curved rather than plummeted. Natsu and Lisanna went more on those ones. She felt a little left out as they ran up the steps to different slides than she did, laughing while they talked about the one they had just went on. It was what she wanted right? So why did it make her chest hurt?

She was suddenly getting tired when a voice behind her said,

"I'm giving you fair warning right now that I'm behind you, wouldn't want you falling at my feet again now would we?"

Lucy turned around to see Alphonse standing there with a smile. He was as soaked as everyone else around them and she couldn't help but smile back.

"It's almost like you're following me."

"Ah fair lady I am not, though I cannot say I am sorry to see you again. Where are your friends? Did they not come with you?" He looked above her on the stairs.

Lucy pointed to another set of stairs leading to the slide they called Mountain Drop. It was a sheer vertical slide where you were more or less falling with the occasional contact of the slide. Alphonse looked distinctly uncomfortable with the nature of the ride and she was amused at that.

"Yes well, I hope they enjoy it. This one is good enough for me. It's a doubles ride, care to be my partner?" He asked as they approached the top.

Lucy was relieved to have someone to go on a slide with and when they reached the top she sat in the back while he was in the front, making sure they went a bit faster. This slide was covered and for most of the ride it was pitch dark inside, their laughter and the echo of the water were the only sounds. Then suddenly colours burst forth, illuminating them as they descended. It was incredible.

When they reached the bottom he asked her if she wanted to go on another with him since Natsu and Lisanna were still waiting for their turn on the Mountain Drop. It was a popular one with thrill seekers and the line was long. Lucy said yes and they managed to go on three more before Lisanna and Natsu finally reached the bottom pool where they had just completed their own ride.

"Well look who you found!" Lisanna said with a smile.

Alphonse sketched a slight bow and smiled, "I was keeping Miss Lucy company while you two waited for your turn, but now that you have returned I am no longer needed and should be on my way."

Natsu had been scowling at the man ever since they realized who Lucy was with. He seemed pleased that Alphonse was about to leave, but then Lisanna said,

"No stay! I'm afraid Lucy's tastes in rides are a bit more tame than ours, but we were planning on heading to the lazy river now if you'd like to join us."

The man's gaze went over to Natsu, who was standing just behind the girls with a distinctly unfriendly look on his face. "I wish I could, but I'm afraid I've been away from my own party for too long already. They are likely to think I've drowned." He said in mock horror.

"Well thank you for keeping me company, and again it was nice to have met you. I hope you have a good stay!" Lucy said smiling at him.

Alphonse sketched them another bow, placing a kiss on the back of Lucy's hand before he departed. Natsu moved closer to Lucy the second the other man was gone and once again muttered.

"I don't like him..."

Both girls just rolled their eyes and they went to the Lazy river, all three of them floating along as they wound down. The sun was starting to set in the sky and they were all pretty tired from the day. Since Natsu still had Troya cast on him and it would last for the next couple hours at least, they opted to take the tram back instead of walking. Lucy was so used to doing it by this point in the day she didn't even think before dropping back to let Lisanna and Natsu sit together. He looked back over his shoulder at her and she knew the look meant he was going to have words for her once they were alone. She had been found out and wasn't really looking forward to that conversation.

They made it back to the dorm where Lisanna bid them goodnight from behind a yawn and disappeared into her room. Going a little further down the hall she and Natsu made it to their adjoining set and she wasn't surprised when he followed her into her side and shut the door.

"So, are you going to tell me what the hell was going on with you today? You acted like you didn't want to be there at all!" He accused, his face a touch of angry and hurt.

"Of course I wanted to be there Natsu, I wouldn't have suggested the trip if I didn't want to go!" She was frowning as she placed the duck in the corner of the room, it took up a lot of space. Carting it back to Magnolia would be fun.

"So it was the company you didn't want to be around then? You kept shoving Lisanna at me whenever I tried to do something with you and when I finally do what you seem to want me to you find that annoying guy and hang out with him instead! Were you really flirting with him? Like Lisanna said?" He was referring to Alphonse and looked extremely irritated at that fact.

"No! Natsu that's not it! You just don't see Lisanna that often and I thought you might want to have some time with her, get reacquainted with her..."

"Reacquainted?" Natsu interrupted her, "Why on earth would I need to get reacquainted with her? I see her at least twice a year. It's not like I haven't seen her in 10 years or something. I call bullshit on that as an excuse. You either didn't want to be there, or you didn't want to spend time with either of us, which in the end is kind of the same thing. So? Which is it? Should we just head home now? Tell Lisanna you don't like her and leave?" He was furious now.

"You damn well know I like Lisanna just fine! I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't!" She was angry now too. Her fists clenched at her side.

"Doing what? Acting like you'd rather be anywhere but around us?"

"No you idiot! I was trying to set you guys up!" She finally blurted out.

The comment made him pause, as if he was going over everything that had happened that day again in his head. She could see the anger start to bleed out of him and then suddenly he was laughing.

"You were... Trying to set me and Lisanna up? Wh... Why the hell would you do something like that?" He was amused now, grinning.

"Well... You told me that the two of you raised Happy together and she had wanted to be your wife one day... I thought maybe I could help you realize your feelings for each other." Lucy said defensively.

Natsu was shaking his head as he stepped closer to her. "Lisanna is like my sister, whatever happened then was just day dreaming that kids do. I don't see her that way at all now, she doesn't see me that way either."

"How do you know that? Maybe she has feelings for you!" Lucy grasped as she watched her whole plan dissolving.

"We talked about it a long time ago, neither one of us has unrequited feelings Luce, so I'm sorry to say but you're just going to have to forget about your big plans. Lisanna and I will never be a couple." He grinned at her a tugged a lock of hair. "Besides, if I was planning on dating anyone, you'd be the first one I asked."

Lucy was so completely shocked by his statement that she didn't realize he had walked away from her until she heard the connecting door snick shut. Apparently it was his way of telling her they were done talking since it hadn't been closed once in the few days they'd been here.

She had to sit down, numbly walking over to the bed she plopped down. This day had not gone anything like she had planned. She had been hoping that it would end with either Lisanna or Natsu talking to her about the other one, or maybe she would slip away while they talked late into the night. She had so completely misjudged everything that she hadn't even been aware that Natsu saw HER the way she had been trying to get him to see Lisanna. Was she really upset he hadn't seen the other woman that way? No not really, because if Lucy was finally being honest with herself... She liked Natsu, but he had said she would be the first one she asked, IF he was dating. So he wasn't dating... Why not? Her mind went to how strange he'd been acting lately and she wondered if that had anything to do with it. That itself was a whole other issue she had to get to the bottom of. She was worried about him. Something was going on, something that was a danger to not only Natsu but she was starting to fear for others as well. The only way to get to the bottom of it all was to catch him doing... Whatever it was he was doing.

Lucy went down to the end of the hall and took a shower, washing off the chlorine before she slipped into a comfortable pair of pants and a sweatshirt. She sat on the bed and waited, she didn't know if he went out every night, but if he did tonight. She'd follow him.

There was no movement inside the other room for a long time, hours. She had picked up a book from the bag she brought and started to read once the first hour mark had passed. It wasn't until around 2:30 the next morning that she heard something. A faint thump and then a low growl. She heard the door to his room open into the hallway and then his retreating footsteps. She waited a couple seconds and then followed after him.

Natsu was ahead of her about 100 yards. She hoped with his dragon ears and nose he couldn't tell she was following him, but he seemed more than a little preoccupied by whatever it was he was doing to pay much attention to anything around him. He left the dorm and went out across the common area, past the research center and then the nursery. He stopped in front of the nesting door before turning to go along the outside of the large barn like structure. Once he got out in to the open field she heard a loud growl and he took off running for the forest in the distance. She was afraid she was going to loose him, he was fast, and had much more stamina than she did. He disappeared into the trees and by the time she reached them she couldn't see, or hear him.

She stopped, waiting, listening. Long minutes passed before she heard a faint rustling in the trees and the cry of an animal, a sort of ripping sound followed it. She slowly made her way towards the sounds and what she saw shocked her to the core. An animal lie dead on it side, and a creature knelt beside it, eating. She could hear tearing flesh, the squishing of blood, the smell of copper. The hands she saw were scaled, short black wings expanded and retracted with the movements being made. She could hear her heart thudding in her chest, she was suddenly terrified. Terrified of being caught, terrified of Natsu being found by this creature... She must have made a sound because the creature snapped it's head around and red eyes pierced straight into her soul. Her worst fear had just been confirmed. It was Natsu who knelt over the animal. Black horns sprouted from hi hairline and large fangs had descended into his mouth. He dropped the piece of flesh he had been eating and stood up, a low growl emitting from his throat, he snapped his jaw at her and every instinct in her said to run. So she did, only making it two steps before he had grabbed the ends of her hair. Snarling he pulled her around to face him, one scaled hand went to her throat and squeezed as he leaned in, sniffing her. He was making a low, dangerous noise as he took in who she was, what she was. Lucy didn't think she'd ever been more terrified in all her life. She could feel her whole body shaking as she brought her hand up to touch the face of the man she had come to call friend.

"Natsu?" She said quietly, unable to keep a tremble from her voice.

He blinked, pulling back slightly from her, and then he snorted. The grip on her throat loosened and Lucy was encouraged by the small change.

"Natsu it's me... Lucy." She tried again.

The hand dropped from her throat and he staggered back. Bloody hands pressing into his equally bloody face as he doubled over. She watched as the horns began to shrink and disappear, the wings faded away. The scales smoothed out into his normal skin colour and when he looked up, it was only the red eyes that gave away what he had just been.

Lucy stepped forward and reached out a hand to him, taking it gently in her own. His eyes darted down to where their fingers linked and she watched as red gave way to gold. He was panting as he looked back up at her, a pained expression on his face.

"I never... Wanted you to see that..." His voice was harsh, not quite his yet.

"Natsu... I think it's time to tell me what's going on with you." She said gently.

"Yeah, I guess I can't hide it anymore."

* * *

Dun dun DUUUN! Well I've finally reached the point in the story where it's darker! How did I do? Did I peak your interest? I hope so, I've got a lot more planned. I know the matchmaking wasn't overly exciting or funny, but I thought it was wonderfully and subtly done. Also, I imagined Alphonse with an English accent. Did anyone else? Please, as always, let me know what you thought!

Thank you to those who reviewed last chapter!

 **aoutre** : I'm glad you enjoyed it! I hope you continue to do so!

 **Askinsky** : I didn't put a lot of conversation into the last chapter, I wanted to show everyone the facility and it ended up being a lot of description. I hope you didn't feel the same detatchment with this chapter :( I'm glad you liked the dragons though! It was fun coming up with all of the different kinds. Well he stopped being angsty, you happy now? :P

 **Aviend** : Thank you! I love the original world and while I will of course change some things around to make it my own, I keep as close to Mashima's creations as possible. I hope you continue to enjoy the story!

 **walkeabb000** : Yay! I'm glad you like it! I've always been fascinated with the concept and writing it has been a lot of fun! Hope you liked this chapter!

 **calspirit15** : Well she did, and he told her in a round about way he likes her to, but with what just happened, how will it go?

 **rawrlikerue** : You make me blush with your reviews lol. We found out where the blood came from, and as to Cana and Levy... You'll just have to wait and see.

 **Crimsonlink310** : I've given away a big part of that mystery! Next week comes the explanation. I hope you're not on pins and needles all week waiting for it. (ok I am hehe) I couldn't really think of a big way to try and have Lucy get them together so I just went with subtle and I think it went well, not sure if you or others agree though. :) I'm glad you enjoyed all the different dragon types. It was honestly so fun to write.

Until next time!

Lilith Mey


	7. Chapter 7

It's Monday! Welcome back to all those faithful readers of mine, and welcome to all the new ones! This week we've got that explanation you've all been waiting for. I hope you like it!

I found a wonderful, wonderful drawing to use as my cover art for this story. I could not believe the perfection. I give full credit and props to wendymarvellxd

Between the page breaks (after the initial one) are from Lisanna's point of view, just so no one gets confused lol

Anyway here's chapter 7! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing, It's all Mashima's

* * *

They walked back to the dorm in relative silence and when they arrived, Lucy waited in her room while Natsu took a shower to wash the blood off. When he came back she was sitting cross legged on her bed and petting Happy. He looked hesitant as he walked in, he hadn't bothered to dress, only wearing only a towel wrapped around his hips. Natsu obviously wanted to get this over with, and she was eager to hear what he had to say. She felt his weight settle on the bed but he looked ready to jump up at any moment.

"So... Talk" Lucy said simply, her eyes never wavered from his as he sighed and turned more towards her.

"Igneel found me when I was five and he took me back to the clearing he had been living in for a while. For the first week we just got to know one another, but then he asked again if I wanted to know how to take care of myself. Even back then I was as stubborn as I am now." He gave her a half smile, "I told him I wanted to learn anything he could teach me, so he did. For nearly a year he taught me how to defend myself, without fire. I didn't even know that it was the next step, Igneel kept that to himself. All the motions, all the actions he taught me would later be my fire dragon moves. Once I had gotten pretty good at them he asked me once more, did I want to know how to take care of myself. I was, of course, confused. I thought that's what we had been doing, but then he said he could teach me how to use fire. The thought of being like Igneel was exciting, so I said yes. He warned me it would be difficult and I could get hurt, but once we began I wouldn't be allowed to change my mind."

Natsu had come more fully onto the bed, sitting cross legged in front of her, they were only a few inches apart now. All the skin was making it a bit hard for her to concentrate, but when he hesitated she reached out and took one of his hands in both of her own, simply holding it as encouragement, this was about him.

"The training was just what he said it would be; hard, rigorous, dangerous. Some days I'd come in bleeding or with a broken bone because I fucked up, either from one of Igneel's attacks or my own magic backfiring on me. Some days I felt like a king because I'd mastered something we'd been working on for so long. Those years were... Some of the best in my life, but I was stupid for not listening to his warning. Before we had even started training he told what was required to become a dragon slayer, and what effect it could have on me. I brushed it off, told myself it could never happen to me. I was young and arrogant, stupid..."

He was trembling slightly now, gripping her hand in his. He was looking down at where they lay between them, rather than directly at Lucy. It startled her to realize he was afraid.

"To become a dragon slayer, you have to take the very essence of a dragon inside yourself. It's a gift not given lightly by those willing to teach us. Before he disappeared, Igneel reminded me of that piece of himself inside me. He told me not to let it gain control. I remembered he had warned me, but not about what and he was angry with me for not remembering. With that piece of dragon life force inside me, there was always a chance I'd change, at the very basis of who I am. That piece is the core of what a dragon is, and sometimes it changes the bearer into a raging, feral dragon. It doesn't happen often, but when it does the outcome is usually the same; the slayer has to be put down because he can't control it. He looses himself to the beast. I've been fighting it so hard, because I don't want it to control me, I don't want to give in to this... monster. I don't want to hurt anyone, but I don't want to die either. The times when I loose control... They're getting worse, lasting longer, and I'm terrified."

Natsu finally looked up at Lucy, who's face showed how heartbroken she was for him. He reached up a hand and gently touched her face, "Hurting you is what I'm most afraid of now, you're around me so often and I.. Care for you... I don't think I could live with myself if I hurt you in any way." He blew out a long breath. "So now you know... I'm fighting not to loose control and become a feral beast that you or someone in the guild has to put down."

For a moment Lucy didn't move, she was utterly shocked, whatever she was expecting, that wasn't it. Then suddenly she moved up onto her knees and wrapped her arms around his neck, she pressed herself close to him, her head against his. When she spoke her voice was a whisper, but it held conviction.

"We will find a way to fight this, for you to gain control. I won't let you be put down like some sort of animal. You're Natsu, my best friend. We'll find a way..."

She felt his arms come around her in almost a crushing embrace, she was all but sitting in his lap now, his voice cracked when he said,

"Thank you Luce."

They sat like that for a while, Natsu taking comfort in the fact that he had finally told someone what was going on, and that she hadn't condemned him for it. Lucy held on to simply comfort him, knowing he needed a friend. When they finally broke apart, it was with a few blushes and averted eyes.

"So... I guess we should go to sleep now huh? It's pretty late." Natsu was scratching the back of his head while Lucy picked at non-existent lint on her pj bottoms.

"Ya that sounds like a good idea, I'm not sure what Lisanna has planned for us tomorrow." She stood up, lifting Happy off of her lap and setting him down on the bed. The cat huffed and curled up again, asleep in seconds.

Natsu went to stand up, but unknowingly he caught the edge of his towel under his hand and when he moved...

"AHH!" Lucy's face flamed, she quickly turned around, but the image would be forever burned in her brain. How the hell was he tanned there too?!

Natsu's face coloured as much as Lucy's and he quickly grabbed the towel to covered himself, all but sprinting into the other room. Well that had gone from touching promises to utter embarrassment really quick. The door still stood open between them and when Lucy had crawled under the blankets she heard a quiet voice from the other room.

"Goodnight Lucy" And then a pause. "Thank you."

She smiled, "Goodnight Natsu, get some sleep."

* * *

Lisanna arrived knocking on their doors the next morning, both of them groaning at being woken up. Lucy got out of bed and opened the door to the peppy woman, who came in far too cheerful.

"Morning you two! Today is going to be informative! The egg specialist is back and we're going to find out just what sort of dragon you brought to us."

Natsu came into the room a minute later in only his billowy pants, nails moving across his chest as he yawned, "This early? Couldn't this have waited until afternoon?"

Lisanna grinned, "He's a busy man! We are a haven for lost dragons after all. This way we get to ask questions and hear about the dragons abilities and weaknesses rather than just hearing, oh hey it's a star dragon but I've got to run."

Natsu sighed, "I guess it's good that we're up then, I know Romeo is going to be asking a ton of questions when we get back so the more information the better."

Lisanna watched then as Natsu walked over to Lucy and bent his head towards her, she didn't hear what was said but Lucy nodded, smiling slightly. Well that was... different, vastly different than the space that had appeared between them the day before. Lisanna knew she had missed something, but she was glad they were talking again. Maybe... had he told her? Suddenly she was filled with curiosity, but it wasn't something she could just come right out and ask the other woman about. Subtle was the word of the day.

"Just let me get dressed and we can head over ok?" Lucy smiled at Lisanna and pushed Natsu out of the room so she could change, he rolled his eyes but went anyway. Lisanna sat on the bed and pet Happy, her back to Lucy as she started to pull on her clothes.

"Did you have fun yesterday Lucy? You seemed a little... distant."

Lucy paused in her dressing, she felt her cheeks flame. "I did, I'm sorry about yesterday. I had something on my mind and I was letting it get to me. I didn't mean to act like I didn't want to be there."

Lisanna smiled as the other woman came around in front of her, hairbrush pulling through the blonde strands on her head.

"Well I'm glad it's all worked out now, did Natsu help? Seems like you two are... closer now." Lisanna hedged.

Lucy smiled, her eyes moving to the door between the rooms. "Yeah, I think we are."

It was all she said and Lisanna was disgruntled she hadn't gotten more out of her. She would get Natsu to talk, Lisanna knew him far better. Once Lucy was finished dressing she opened the door between the rooms again and Natsu appeared instantly, fully dressed now.

The three of them went down to breakfast and Natsu ate like a starved man, after all these years she still didn't understand where he put it all. Did his magic really use up that much energy? She ate her bit of toast and fruit, watching as Lucy handed over her sausage to the starving dragon slayer with a sigh. He grinned at her and she wrinkled her nose. Soon they were on their way to the nursery, as they entered a few of the babies she and Lucy had played with a couple days before made their way over, calling out and nudging at their legs. Lucy reached down and picked up a small feathered bundle, her name was Acena and she was a three months old ice dragon. The feathers protected her from the cold of her natural habitat while she grew. They'd eventually fall out and be replaced with either white, silver or light blue scales. The little one let out a squeaking noise and nuzzled Lucy's chin. She giggled and hugged the dragon.

Natsu watched with a smile on his face and Lisanna took the opportunity to come up beside him and ask,

"So did you tell her you like her yet?"

Natsu looked over at his friend, surprise written on his face, "How did you know I liked her?"

Lisanna rolled her eyes, "The first half hour I spent with you guys told me three things; you like Lucy, she likes you, and you were both oblivious to it."

Natsu laughed then, "Ya I guess that's true. I... sort of told her if I was going to date anyone I'd ask her first. The shocked silence was promising, but she never actually said she returns the feeling."

"Trust me, she does. What do you mean if you were going to date? Why can't you ask her out?" She looked confused, but before Natsu had to think up some excuse, Lucy came over with Acena.

"Isn't she cute Natsu? I'd take her home with us if I didn't know she was going to get bigger than your house." She laughed as the dragon tried to roar when Natsu touched her.

The doors of the nursery opened then and a man walked in wearing a white shirt, brown pants and a polka dot bow tie. He was in his mid forties with a full head of red hair and glasses that slipped down his nose. He was muttering to himself as he walked over to an incubator and adjusted the settings.

"Good morning Doctor Brakkus." Lisanna called to him.

The man started as he turned around, a confused look on his face, but as he adjusted his glasses and recognized Lisanna he broke into a smile. "Ah! There you are, I had been wondering where you were." He looked to Natsu and Lucy, "These are the two who brought the egg?"

Lisanna nodded and Dr. Brakkus came over to shake their hands enthusiastically. "Thank you! I am so happy to have the egg here and even more pleased you did not try and care for it yourself! So many dragons die that way you know." He nodded matter-of-factly.

Natsu caught Lisanna's eye and they both grinned, the egg they hatched together as children had resulted in Happy, but they both had thought it was a dragon. Lucy followed Dr. Bakkus as he moved over to the incubator that held the green speckled egg.

"This is a fascinating specimen, I am quite please to have this here. This is a poison cloud dragon egg, they make their homes in the forests to the north and very rarely leave the area. Where did you say it was found?" He turned back to the three of them.

"In the forests about a day from Magnolia" Was the reply Natsu gave as he walked up beside Lucy and leaned in to look at the egg.

"Fascinating! Weeks from where it should be!" Dr. Bakkus said again, he picked up a magnifying glass and peered at the egg. "I judge the egg to be about 4 months into its gestation period. The poison cloud dragon generally takes about 10 months to hatch, so this little one is nearly halfway there."

A worker clad in the uniform of the facility burst into the nursery, she was panting as she said, "Lis, we just got a dragon in, we need your help in the med building." Lisanna looked at Natsu and Lucy with an apologetic smile and took off after the woman.

* * *

"Oh dear, I hope it's nothing too serious." Dr. Bakkus commented quietly.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure Lisanna is up to the task." Lucy said with confidence, smiling at the older man. Reading the identification tag below the egg and asked. "Is the poison cloud dragon a defensive or offensive dragon?"

"Oh, what a good question. I myself would qualify them as more of a defensive dragon, since they generally are content to stay in their home and not venture very far. I've only rarely heard stories about anyone dying from a poison cloud dragon. The ones who did were usually egg poachers or perhaps trying to steal a scale or two. The cloud generated would cause those in the area to suddenly begin choking, and as the poison sets in the body disintegrates. Usually there is very little left."

Lucy looked a little sick at the thought of the bodies just disappearing. "Is there any way to defend yourself against the poison?"

Dr. Bakkus noticed her discomfort and tried to offer a bit of reassurance, "The poison is airborne, it only affects those who breathe it in. So I suppose if you were to hold your breath you would be able to try and get outside of the cloud. If you're inside it and unable to move... well I'm not sure, perhaps a face covering of some sort?" He looked a bit perplexed at this and you could practically see the wheels turning in his head as ideas of how to combat the poison from inside the cloud ran through his mind.

"Is the cloud the only defense they have? Can they do more?" Natsu asked.

"Oh my yes, they can also spit acid quite a distance. It's generally used to disable their prey, enough to wound but not kill. Most dragons like to do that themselves you know?" He nodded, as if a great authority on the subject. "They like hear the scared cries, to feel the bones snap, the life fade away; then feel the blood of their food on their scales."

Lucy glanced over to Natsu who looked a little uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation. His eyes had taken on a bit of a red tint and she could see him struggling to retain control. Not wanting the doctor to notice the changes, she steered him in the direction of another incubator and started asking him questions about the egg there. She only half listened as she watched a young horned dragon come up to Natsu and bump his leg. It wasn't enough to hurt Natsu as he was so small, but it was clearly a challenge of sorts. Natsu ignored him while he tried to calm down, but the baby wouldn't give up. He bumped his leg again, harder this time and let out a challenging cry. She watched the red bleed more into Natsu's eyes and heard the low growl being emitted. Lucy moved away from the doctor without a word, but before she could reach Natsu, the small dragon had bumped him again. This time it was hard enough to draw a little speck of blood from Natsu's leg and his face changed, a snarl issued from his lips and he would have lunged for the baby had Lucy not stepped up him and grabbed his arm. He rounded on her, his face feral and angry, but stopped instantly when his eyes met hers. She watched him internally struggle for a long minute before the red finally faded and his golden hue came back.

He was panting now and the little dragon had thankfully run away. "I'm sorry." He said quietly, "I didn't... I tried not to." He looked angry with himself. Lucy reached up and touched his cheek.

"It's ok, we're working on it remember? I don't expect things to be different a few hours after we talked." She assured him.

Natsu sighed, "I'm glad I have you to help me. It'll probably be a lot easier this way, with someone to hold me accountable, to call me on my shit."

Lucy smiled, "You can guarantee it dragon slayer."

They turned back to Dr. Bakkus who was, amazingly, still answering Lucy's last question; completely oblivious to the disruption. She and Natsu stayed a bit longer, listening to more information about certain eggs and their properties, then they played a bit with the baby's. Natsu even held he little horned dragon, who was now completely enamored and kept running circles around his body. Apparently being put in his place had made the baby see Natsu as something of an alpha figure.

A few hours later they left the nursery and headed back towards the dorm, they walked close together and every so often, their hands would brush one another.

"So I think maybe we should head back home tomorrow." Natsu said, breaking the silence.

Lucy looked over a little surprised. "You don't want to stay longer and visit with Lisanna? I'm sure there's some other things we could do here, someone even told me about a theater group that's premiering a show tomorrow."

Natsu shook his head, giving her a smile. "It sounds like fun, but I want to get back home. I don't think being around this many dragons right now is a good idea for me. The wild nature of them is making things... difficult."

They entered the dorm and walked through the halls to their rooms, not surprisingly he followed her straight into hers. She kicked off her shoes and crawled onto the bed, running a hand down Happy's back, the little blue cat was still sleeping. "Alright, if it's going to be easier for you, we'll go home. I hope Lisanna is done with the dragon soon, and I hope whatever was wrong is easily fixed. Can you imagine the size of that operating room?" She smiled at the thought of it.

Natsu grinned, "They probably need ladders just to get up there and fix whatever is wrong."

"Maybe some sort of crane. And the tools!" Lucy started laughing, "I know it's not funny, that they do such good work, but come on! Can you imagine the size of the needle they'd have to use for stitches?"

Natsu was laughing at this point, having crawled onto the bed with her. Red had seeped into his eyes again, but this time there was no malice behind it, no loss of control. They traded jokes about the tools and equipment needed for dragon surgery for a while and they ended up lying at the head of the bed, just looking up at the ceiling. A comfortable silence fell around the two of them, each lost in their own thoughts. Lucy was surprised when she felt Natsu take her hand, threading their fingers together. She didn't pull away, feeling a slight blush creep up into her cheeks. Neither of them spoke and it was a while before Lucy said softly.

"We should start packing then, if we're going to leave in the morning."

"Yea probably." Yet he didn't move.

Lucy let a few more minutes go by before she squeezed his hand and sat up, moving to the closet where she had stored her suitcase and opened it on the bed. Natsu turned onto his side and propped his head up in his hand, watching as she pulled out clothes from the dresser and packed them, then shower stuff and souvenirs.

"You're going to do mine too right?" He asked suddenly.

She threw a sock at him. "Yes, I'm going to do yours too. Poor helpless dragon slayer can't even pack his own luggage."

"It's not my fault you're so good at it. I'd never think to do it like that." He motioned at her efforts and she raised a brow.

"Folding the clothes?"

"Yeah, that!" He said with a grin.

She could only sigh and shake her head. It took a couple hours but she had everything ready to go, leaving out what they'd need for the return trip. She picked up her giant duck in a chef's hat and set it near the door.

"I never did thank you for this. He's adorable."

Natsu reached out and poked the duck, watching it sway slightly. "That game was easy, I wish there had been a better prize. Like the book I got you."

"Book? What book?" Lucy asked, confused and yet a bit excited.

"Oh right, I never gave it to you!" He disappeared into his room and came back grinning, holding out a wrapped package. "I got it while you and Lisanna went into that jewelry shop. You made me wait outside remember?" He sounded a bit disgruntled over that fact.

"Well you do have a habit of..." Lucy began, but Natsu cut her off.

"Breaking things, I know. I don't try to, it just sort of... happens." He shrugged, "Anyway, there was a little bookstore a couple shops away and I remember you said you liked history so, I got you that."

Lucy tore open the wrapping and her eyes widened, her gaze flew up to Natsu who was looking at her with a faint smile. "It's not the same as hearing it from someone who was there, but I wanted you to know, I thought you'd like to know."

The book was on the Dragon Wars, an accounting from the months leading up to the beginning of the conflict, to the final resolution. Her fingers brushed over the golden coloured script donning the cover and she smiled at him. "Thank you Natsu, this is... incredible. I can't believe you remembered I like this worlds history."

Natsu shook his head, "One day you're going to have to tell me you know, that big secret you're keeping. I told you mine, it's only fair you share yours." She had once again inadvertently given away more than she meant to, and he was right, one day she would have to tell him. One day she had a feeling she was going to have to decide if she wanted to stay here... or go home.

"One day." She said softly, "But not today."

He let it go for now, asking if she was hungry. The question made her smile and the two of them went to the dining hall. After dinner they went out into the courtyard and watched as the adult dragons were coming in for the night. Some still talking, the ground vibrating beneath their feet. Others yawning and making it shake. Lisanna caught up with them there, she looked exhausted.

"Sorry I was gone for so long you guys, a dragon came in with burns on over half her body. They were bleeding pretty bad and we had to do a graft." She wiped her face with her hands, it was obvious she needed a hot bath to relax and a long sleep.

"Does anyone know what happened?" Lucy asked, she had taken the girls arm, walking her back towards the dorms and more or less holding her up.

Lisanna shook her head, "No, for the moment we don't know anything. she was unconscious when she came in and hasn't come to yet. Unfortunately some of the burns were to her face, it's going to be a long and painful recovery. The only thing we know for sure about her is that she's around 200 years old and an armour dragon. For her to be burned like that, with her scales being one of the most durable types..." She sighed heavily, "It's not good... I'll just put it that way. The administrators are sending an investigator out. We need to know what happened and why."

They had reached the dorm by this time and Lucy shoo'd Natsu away while she helped Lisanna into the bathroom. Once she was sure the woman wasn't going to fall on her face when she let go of her arm, Lucy went back to her room and got a pair of pj's. Natsu met them in Lisanna's room a while later and told her of their plans to leave in the morning.

"I'm sad to see you both go, it was such a short visit!" Lisanna said with a slight pout. "I'll be home soon though to see Mira and the baby, so we can hang out more then. I'd come now but they're going to need everyone for the moment, especially with a new dragon in recovery." She hugged Lucy tight and whispered in her ear, making the blonde blush.

Natsu raised a brow at her but Lucy just shook her head. Natsu was next for a hug and then they all said goodbye. The train would be leaving early the next morning and with how Lisanna had spent the day, it wasn't very likely she would get up and see them off.

They crawled into bed soon after, wanting to get a good nights sleep for the day ahead. Natsu was about to spend another three days in motion sickness agony and it was a good idea for him to get all the rest he could now. Partway through the night Lucy was aware of a weight settling into the other side of her bed. She rolled over, her eyes half closed, and saw Natsu's back. He had crawled into bed with her and she couldn't really find it in herself to care. Reaching out she laid a hand on his back, feeling him tense for a moment, as if he expected her to shove him out of the bed, but then he relaxed and they both slept.

The morning light came far too early for either one of them and they trudged to the station. After stowing their belongings, Lucy sat down with her new book, and Natsu laid down with his head in her lap. Fingers found the pink locks of his hair and he sighed as they departed.

"I hate trains." He muttered, and with a groan, they were on their way home.

* * *

So what did you think? As always, please review! I do try to cater somewhat to requests or ideas if it so fits into my plan. It's the little things right?

Thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter!

 **Caslspirit15** : Haha! I'm so glad I got that fangirl side going. It was my intent. I wanted it to be so casual it was a complete surprise. I hope you liked where I went with it, there's still a lot to come!

 **Escapetoanime** : oh my gosh, I was at work when I got barraged by your reviews and I was laughing so hard. I update every Monday, usually in the wee hours of the morning. Cana and Levy are still a big mystery with this story, we will all have to wait and see! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I love questions, ask away! Yes this is my first story, I'm flattered that you think I write like a seasoned author! As to the cellphone... I have my secrets. Hehe

 **Lizz Cold 790** : Happy is still around! Since he is non-verbal in this story I've given the explanation that he comes and goes much like a real cat, only making appearances when he wants to. I'm glad you like my story so far and hope you continue to do so!

 **Writing Pixie** : It's long been one of my favourite plot lines too! I get all giddy inside lol. I'm glad I could give you some ideas to help you out with your own writing and so very glad I'm able to bring the words off the page and create a visual in your head. It's what I hope for every week. I hope you continue to read and review and just generally like my story. If you ever want to bounce ideas off me for your book, just send me a pm!

 **Ashinsky** : What the animal doesn't count? He was brutally murdered! :P I hope you like this chapter, it's got a lot of dialogue lol, and yes it so backfired on her. We all knew it would though.

 **Dark Mystique** : MUAHAHAHAHAHA

 **Crimsonlink310** : I was worried about introducing an OC as well since as you said, a lot of people mess it up. I used him to play up Natsu's jealousy a little bit and get him to that shocking confession. As for the bad vibe... Look a squirrel! lol I'm very glad for those pins and needles and I hope I didn't disappoint with this chapter. It's the culmination of all those little things and now we've just got to figure out how to deal with his problem, it's going to be fun. I'm really glad I could fit the bill for what you're looking for in an author, it really is my goal to give people something wonderful to read, characters that they can relate to and a story that keeps them guessing. Oh! Did you see what I put in just for you?

 **Rawrlikerue** : I'm so glad you feel that way! It's exactly what I hope for! I'm so glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you liked this one too!

 **FlameDragonHime** : Every Monday! Let the countdown begin!

 **Walkeabb000** : I said it was coming! lol It's not over yet. I get to pull off dark and romantic at the same time. Think I can do it?


	8. Chapter 8

I'm so happy everyone liked my last chapter, I wasn't too sure what the reception would be when I finally revealed what was going on. There's still more to come, new twists and turns. We're down to the meat of the fic now ladies and gentlemen, are you ready?

Awesome cover art by WendyMarvellxd, check her out on Deviant Art!

Disclaimer: Mashima is the allfather

* * *

The trip back home went about as well as on the way there. Natsu was sick most of the time and didn't move from where he lay on Lucy's lap unless she was forcibly taking him outside for air. There was a difference this time though, as Natsu was disabled in her lap, she would gently stroke his hair, his face, his arm. Their fingers would link and they'd sit like that for hours. At night when she curled up in front of him on the long bench, he'd pull her tight and bury his face in her hair; making up some excuse about its smell making the nausea less. She wondered if he was rethinking his stance on asking her out, or were they already dating? These thoughts caused her a bit of sleeplessness, but she couldn't find anything in her that cared if he had just decided they were. Her chest tightened whenever his arm came more around her, and she felt her heart in her throat. Lucy wondered how she had been so blind to the feelings she had for the pink haired man.

They arrived back in Magnolia in the early afternoon, and after Natsu had regained his composure they headed for the guild. Both of them were tired and just wanted to get a good nights rest in a real bed, but if they just went home someone was bound to let the guild know about their arrival and they'd have Romeo, at the very least, showing up at Natsu's place. So carrying their luggage and the giant duck in a chef's hat, they walked towards the guild. About halfway there Natsu looked over at Lucy,

"I know we never really talked about it, but you're not going to tell anyone, right?" He seemed apprehensive, his eyes searching her face.

"I'm not going to tell anyone, don't worry. You trusted me with this and we'll work on the problem together. No one has to know, not for now at least. You understand there may come a time when I need to ask for help don't you?" She had reached over to take his free hand, the two of them walking closer together.

"Yeah, I know. I'm just really hoping we figure this out with no one else knowing. It's not something I'm proud of." He said a bit bitterly.

"That's why we'll find a way to get beat it. If not that, at least a way for you to control it, instead of it controlling you." She squeezed his hand and he gave her a grateful look.

The guild was a big part of Magnolia, and most of the people knew when one of the members had gone away on some sort of job. So it was no surprise to be greeted by shouted hello's and waves as they were seen walking through the streets towards Fairy Tail. The two of them smiled back, laughing at some of the well wishers who took things too far, like the flower shop owner who threw petals around them. It was nice to see that by the time they reached the front gate of the guild, Natsu was back to his old self. Grinning with that cocky look on his face she had come to know so well. As they reached the front door he dropped her hand and kicked it open.

"WE'RE BACK!" He shouted as they entered.

He was greeted with shouts of, "Did you have to break the door?!" and "Ya, ya you're back, good for you." As they stowed their luggage in one of the booths, Mira appeared. She was smiling and had Aria nestled in her arms amidst a bundle of blankets.

"Welcome back you two! I assume your trip was a success?" She was glowing, it was obvious that motherhood agreed with her. Leave it to Mira to not have the problems that other new mothers did.

"It was a lot of fun, Lisanna showed us all around the capital and we met all sorts of dragons, Natsu even sparred with a lot of them." Lucy said grinning.

"We'll go back again sometime! Everything was so awesome, so many different dragons! I've gotta figure out how to keep Memorga from sending me into the hay." Natsu said with a disgruntled look.

Mira laughed, though she had no idea who Memorga was. "I'm glad you had a good time. Lisanna is well I hope?"

"She's great! She's going to come for a visit as soon as she's able. There's nothing that can stop her from coming to meet Aria." Lucy assured the other woman.

"I look forward to it, Laxus and I weren't able to travel this year at the same time we usually do because of my pregnancy. It's been far too long since I've seen my little sister." She smiled at them, "What about the egg? Romeo has been on pins and needles since the two of you left. I'm actually surprised he hasn't come running yet."

"Oh we found out so much about it; the professor there, Dr. Bakkus, he told us that it was..." Lucy was cut off by a shout.

"Finally! I've been waiting forever for you guys." Romeo jumped down the last few stairs and came tearing across the guild hall to stop short in front of them.

"Well it seems his ears were burning." Mira said with a laugh.

Romeo grinned, "The baker just delivered the bread and told me he saw you guys coming back from the train station. So? What was it? Were the dragons cool?"

Proving they were two of a kind, Natsu and Romeo started an animated conversation about what type of egg it was, it's abilities, it's weaknesses; and then Natsu wow'd him with all the other types they had seen, and his battles with a few of them. The boy ate it all up, asking tons of questions. While they spoke, Lucy told Mira about what she and Natsu had done while they were in the capital and what had kept Lisanna from travelling back with them. Unfortunately for everyone, Gray made an appearance shortly after, greeting Natsu in his typical way. The cold blast hit Natsu squarely in the back and Lucy saw his eyes go red as well as his lip curl into a snarl. She quickly rounded on Gray before Natsu even had a chance to react.

"Can't you greet him like a normal person? How about 'Hey, how are you?' or 'Good to see you?'. It doesn't have to be with an icicle." She fumed, purposely overreacting so that Natsu had a chance to calm down.

Gray looked at her with surprise, confusion covering his features. "This is how we say hello, we've done it for years. What's wrong with the way we do it?"

"What if someone gets in the way? You do it from across the damn guild! Mira just had a baby, what if when Aria can walk she moves right in front of the blast? Did you ever think about that?" Lucy continued to yell.

Gray was dumbfounded, looking at Mira and Romeo who were equally stunned by her reaction.

"Lucy... perhaps you should calm down. Truly we don't mind..." Mira began but Lucy kept going.

"It's dangerous Mira! What if one day they hurt each other? Do you really think they could live with themselves if they did?" She kept up her verbal assault until Natsu grabbed her arm.

"Calm down Luce, Gray's head may be filled with ice, but he'd never use it when there was a kid around, and he knows better than to use it when I'm injured. Right snow for brains?" Natsu was standing beside her now, completely himself.

"That's right, just like you'd never use your fire, eh lava breath?" He grinned, his hands on his hips now. "Is she ok?" He asked, motioning to Lucy. "She seems a little high strung."

Natsu flung an arm over Lucy's shoulder and grinned back at Gray. "Long trip, she did have to put up with me and my motion sickness for three days you know."

Gray rolled his eyes, "So what did you guys come here for? I figured you'd be at home unpacking or something."

"You know at least Romeo would have shown up at my place if he heard we were back and didn't come here first." Natsu said, glancing over at the younger male.

"Well I wanted to know what happened with the egg!" He said defensively.

"Which is why we came here first, and now that we've told you about it, you can tell everyone else so Lucy and I can go home and get some sleep." He steered Lucy towards the booth with all their luggage in it. Lucy glanced over her shoulder, still playing up Natsu's explanation and giving Gray a hard stare. He only raised his brow at her.

When they got to the booth, Natsu leaned in to her ear and whispered, "Thanks." Lucy smiled up at him and then grabbed her duck and suitcase.

"See you guys tomorrow!" Natsu yelled as they left the guild, oblivious to the strange looks they were receiving for a strange visit.

Once outside the guild Lucy started to giggle. "That was fun. I've got to admit, I've always wanted to yell at the two of you for that."

"Why? It's not like we hurt each other." Natsu said, looking over at her.

"No, but you have a tendency to break a chair or two, and don't you remember the time Gray froze my leg to the side of the bar?!" She asked a bit heatedly.

Natsu started laughing. "Oh yeah! That was great! You were shrieking and flailing your arms until I came over and melted the ice. Didn't you Lucy kick Gray for that?"

"Yes I did, and he deserved it." She stated matter-of-factly.

Natsu was still grinning as he pulled her close for a sideways hug, then sliding his hand into hers. "That's my Lucy."

Her heart did a somersault into her stomach. His Lucy? Was that just a figure of speech? A term of endearment? Or did he actually think of her as his... The thoughts she'd had on the train came flooding back to her. Did they start dating and she missed it? How could she ask a question like that without either getting laughed at or upsetting him? She was quiet the rest of the way home as she got lost in her thoughts, Natsu didn't seem to notice. When they got back to the little house in the woods he sighed with relief and dropped everything he was carrying in the entryway, throwing himself onto the bed.

"So I suppose I'm supposed to put all this away?" She asked with a raised brow.

"You're good at it." Natsu said with a cheeky grin, saying exactly what he had when she packed up to come home.

Lucy threw the duck at him. Laughing he set it beside him on the bed and used it as a pillow. She pulled the rest of the luggage inside but froze when she heard snoring coming from the other side of the room. Typical, so typical. He's asleep while she has to put everything away. She pulled the suitcases in the direction of the dresser and began to take out clothes that were still clean and put them away, the dirty she threw in the direction of the wash tub. She had gone behind the screen where the bathtub was to put away her stuff for bathing when she felt an arm around her middle. At first she felt panic, but then those butterflies came.

"Do that later." Natsu's voice was thick with sleep as he mumbled into her ear. "Can't sleep without you." He carried Lucy back to the bed and laid her down, settling behind her he dragged her close. She knew the instant he was asleep and couldn't help but sigh. He had taken his shirt off and all she could feel through her own was a wall of muscle. Was this going to be the norm now? Sleeping in his arms? If it was she was really going to have to learn how to cope better with the burning in her cheeks, and how to get into pajamas before she was unable to move. It took Lucy a long while to calm her heart rate enough to fall asleep, but when she did it was with a feeling of safety and peace.

* * *

Lucy woke the next morning to a feeling of slight irritation, her hand reached up blindly to bat at whatever was in her hair. She hit something solid and her eyes flew open. Everything was blurry for a couple seconds as the haze of sleep cleared, then she saw that Natsu was leaning above her. It wasn't the playful man she'd come to know however, red eyes and scaled face were staring down at her. She felt a moments panic, until she realized the beast was running his clawed fingers through her hair. Confusion ran rampant through her body and she reached up to touch his face. The beast let out a low growl and leaned down to press his face into her neck, breathing in deeply. Lucy felt goosebumps cover her skin at the close contact while her fingers mimicked the actions of his, weaving through spiky pink strands. Her breathing came in a rush and she said his name quietly. The beast pulled back before blinking rapidly, the noticeable changes fading as quickly as they seemed to appear. Natsu was back now and he smiled lightly, not at all disturbed to find himself halfway over her, and apparently not realizing the beast had just retreated.

"Morning Luce. That was the best sleep I've had in a while. How about you?" He ran his fingers the rest of the way through her hair before he leaned his forehead against hers and then got out of bed.

Lucy was still trying to calm down from being woken by the beast, who was being gentle of all things. Her heart was pounding in her chest. That was definitely a surprise, but it was better than the fear of being torn apart. Her hand went up to where his had been and she shook her head slightly. Getting out of bed now she went and took a bath. She hadn't had a chance the night before. Coming out she found Natsu sitting in the hammock attached to the wall as he ate a piece of bread.

"You take too long in there. It's been almost an hour." He had bathed too it seemed, likely going down to the little river nearby and dousing himself there.

"I have a lot more hair than you do, it takes a while to wash. Plus it's nice to sit in warm water, it's relaxing. You should try it some time." Lucy grabbed an apple from the table and sat on the edge of the bed, facing him.

"Who wants to just sit in water? Seems pointless to me." Natsu shrugged and finished off his bread. "Must be a girl thing."

She rolled her eyes and bit into the fruit. "So we're going to start our research today right? Do you think the guild library is the best place to start or should we go to the one in town?"

He gave it a bit of thought before he spoke. "I think I'd rather check out the Magnolia library first. It would probably attract a lot of attention using the guilds, given that it's me." He grinned slightly. "I don't read much you know."

Lucy smiled back. "I'm well aware, though you could always say you're just tagging along while I find something."

Natsu shrugged. "I'd still rather start out somewhere that's not at the guild. This way if we don't find what we need in Magnolia, at least we'll have a better idea of what we're looking for and won't just be blindly searching through everything."

It was surprisingly logical, given who it was coming from, and after finishing breakfast they made their way to the library of Magnolia. It was nowhere near the size of the one at the capital, which Lucy hadn't been allowed to go in for fear that they'd never see her again, but it was big enough that it housed quite a few books. As Natsu said, they were going in blind and they just grabbed a ton of books which they thought _might_ hold what they were looking for. From books on dragons to books on personality disorders, it was an extremely broad range, but they had to start somewhere right?

For hours they poured over different types of books, sometimes on their own and sometimes together when they found something interesting that may have lead to the information they needed. They paused briefly around noon to eat, but then started in again on their research. It was only their first day of looking, but by the time they arrived at the guild that night for dinner, they were both a little disheartened. So far nothing they had found had even come close to what they needed. Opening the door to the guild, they made their way over to a booth that held Gray, Juvia, Erza and Jellal. Natsu flopped down beside Jellal, while Lucy slid in beside Juvia.

"Where were you two all day? I thought you'd be coming by to tell us all about your trip. Did you really sleep all this time?" Gray asked in surprise.

Lucy shook her head, and then lied through her teeth. "No, we spent it doing laundry and just relaxing a bit. The trip to the capital was sort of like a vacation, but how does the saying go? I need a vacation after my vacation?" She gave Gray a little smile then. "Sorry about snapping at you yesterday. I was overtired."

He just shrugged, "Don't worry about it, I get it. Juvia's no peach either when she hasn't gotten enough sleep." Gray grinned at his wife, who was giving him a murderous glare.

"Juvia does not get sleep sometimes because Gray-sama snores like a vulcan." She said in response, and everyone laughed while Gray turned red.

"Oh man! Snores like a vulcan! She got you Gray!" Natsu said laughing, doubled over in the booth. Surprisingly Gray didn't react like he normally would, this time he only glared at Natsu. Maybe Lucy's tangent had got him to think about how much they used their magic on each other after all.

The topic eventually turned to the jobs everyone had taken recently, Gray and Juvia had relocated a dragon with a penchant for causing trouble simply because he liked to watch the humans of the nearby villages panic and run around screaming. They said it was more annoying than anything; he was a big, meaty dragon who thought of humans as his own personal entertainment. It took... persuasion to get him to leave.

Jellal and Erza's task ended up being a bit more difficult. A shadow dragon had been abducting people while they slept, using them to construct a massive home for himself high in the mountains. It took them a little while to figure out where everyone had been taken, but once they did... Well he had not wanted to stop and in the end he was killed. Only three of the people abducted had died, thought it was still more than both of them had hoped. It didn't help to know they had been old and unable to handle the work load expected of their sudden overlord. The job had been far too similar to what had happened to the two of them as children and therefore they had no sympathy for the wayward dragon.

Jellal quietly asked about Lucy and Natsu's trip to the capital, everyone had heard about the dragon egg by now but no one had really heard what they did besides that. Natsu let Lucy explain, only interrupting every once in a while when she had left out a part he thought important. Lucy was animated as she talked and Natsu watched her with a soft smile on his face. Juvia noticed the look that spoke of being a little more than friendly and thought she might ask Natsu about it later. She liked Lucy and thought that she and Natsu would make a cute couple.

Lucy was in the middle of describing Acena to an interested looking Gray when the door to the guild hall burst open. Everyone at the table jumped up, instantly realizing this wasn't an over enthusiastic guild member returning. Natsu had pulled Lucy to his side and they watched a large form stagger through the door. As soon as the sun broke it's hold and shadow became form, they all saw it was Elfman. His hair was dirty and matted, his face was splashed with blood. His clothes were torn and missing all together, more blood covered his body. In his arms he held Evergreen, who was in much the same condition as her husband; except she was unconscious. Mira must have seen her brother because her scream filled the guild hall.

"Help... her..." Elfman begged in a broken voice, before the two of them plunged to the ground. The big man now laying in the same state as his wife.

Everyone jumped forward, Erza barking orders for people to get them to the infirmary, for water and medicine to be brought so the wounds could be cleaned. She rounded on Jet and told him to go get the towns doctor, Wendy had returned and left on another job while Natsu and Lucy were away so they'd have to rely on different means of healing. Natsu, Gray, Jellal and a few others all lifted Elfman enough to get him into the infirmary. The man was huge and by the time he'd been placed on the bed, everyone was doubled over, gasping for breath. Gajeel entered in behind them with Evergreen in his arms, he too placed her on a bed. Water and bandages were brought then Juvia and Kinana did what they could to help clean them up and get rid of soiled clothing before the doctor arrived.

Jet returned moments later with word the doctor was on his way. The town was not huge, but it was large enough that it would take a bit of time for him to arrive. Erza looked at the few people in the infirmary, as well as those crowded around the door. She ordered everyone but Juvia and Kinana out. The two women stayed to keep cleaning the wounds of their fallen guildmates, while the rest moved back into the main hall.

"It seems the dragon they were sent to kill was a bit more formidable than originally thought." Erza stated, they had all formed a bit of a circle near the bar.

"I told gramps he should have sent me!" Natsu fumed, his fists were clenched and Lucy knew he was struggling greatly with his anger. Slivers of red had entered his eyes, but not enough to be noticeable to anyone else. She took his hand, offering him comfort, heedless of anyone seeing the gesture. He gripped her hand tightly in return.

"With three towns wiped out so far, and who knows how many more since we last got word, I agree with you Salamander. He should have sent one of us." Gajeel said, his arms folded across his chest.

"Where is the master?" Jellal asked in his usual calm demeanor.

"He took Bisca and Asuka to the sweet shop." Alzack offered from a few people down.

Erza's eyes flew to Warren and he nodded, moving out of the group to deliver the message of what had happened. The mood was tense, no one could do anything else until the doctor had seen the two unconscious Fairy Tail members, and Makarov had returned to give them some direction. Every single person would have liked to go, to fight against what had felled their friends. They knew, however, who was going to be sent, but they couldn't take action without the go ahead from the master. Everyone moved back to the booths around the hall, though they stayed clustered towards the back. Lucy was still standing and she leaned down to Natsu.

"I'm going to go see if Juvia and Kinana need any help. If you need me, come get me." She said no more than that, simply squeezed his hand and walked away. It felt like the stares she was getting from everyone were boring into her back, she hadn't spoken quietly. Whatever was going on between her and Natsu needed to be given a name, quickly. Their friends wouldn't keep quiet about it for long.

As she entered the infirmary, she saw the two women frantically cleaning wounds. Both patients had been stripped of their clothing and white sheets covered them now, only the parts needing attention were uncovered.

"What's wrong?" Lucy asked, noticing the two of them looked alarmed.

"Juvia is worried, the wounds are not normal. The blood, it will not stop flowing, and it has green in it." The woman held up a bloody cloth to reveal exactly as she had said. The red was infused with long ribbons of deep green. The blood immediately surrounding the ribbons was bubbling slightly.

Lucy's brow furrowed and she moved forward to take the cloth from Juvia. She examined it and tried to think of what might be causing something like this to happen. She placed the cloth in the dirty rag bin and helped in the seemingly never ending task of cleaning the wounds.

The doctor arrived ten minutes later and they were relieved to have him there. He shoo'd everyone but Kinana out of the room so he could examine them in peace. Juvia went immediately to Gray and murmured to him what she had seen. He whispered words of comfort before explaining what was happening to those now hovering just beyond the infirmary's doors. Lucy's eyes searched out Natsu in the crowd and when she found him, she felt relief; as if the burden of what she'd seen was somehow less. He had been watching her, and seeing the distress on her face he said nothing, simply opened his arms to her. She wound her way around everyone crowded there and moved into his arms. He held her tightly, his head leaning down against hers.

"Green in the blood huh?" He said quietly to her. "Sounds kind of like poison doesn't it?"

Lucy was surprised to hear his revelation on the subject and wondered why she hadn't thought of it. Her voice shook as she asked, "Do you think...?"

"I don't know." Natsu answered honestly. "We'll have to wait and find out."

Once again the door to the guild hall burst open and Makarov, Bisca and Asuka entered. The guild's third and sixth master said nothing to his guild members as he walked past them, he simply entered the infirmary without a word. No one spoke now, it was eerily silent as everyone waited for word. It seemed like an eternity before the closed door was once more opened and Makarov came out, his expression grave. His eyes went to Natsu, then Gajeel.

"Pack up, you leave first thing in the morning. Elfman and Evergreen have been poisoned by the dragon they went to kill. Their insides are slowly disintegrating. The doctor is going to write to the dragon sanctuary at the capital, to see about the type of dragon it was as well as a cure, but for now they remain in danger.

Lucy straightened at the news, her fears had been right. "Poison cloud dragon!" The words tumbled out of her mouth.

Everyone turned to look at her, she pulled out of Natsu's arms to stand in front of her guild master. "The dragon they fought is a poison cloud dragon, the same as the egg we found, I assumed you'd heard about it by now. Dr. Bakkus told us about the poisons properties and how to somewhat defend against it. Let me go with them, you know Natsu isn't going to remember all the technical stuff. I can help."

Everyone's head was on a swivel as they looked between Lucy and the master. He was looking at her with a keen eye, and whatever he was looking for he finally found. Nodding slowly he spoke in a quiet voice.

"Very well Lucy, you will accompany them, but under no circumstance will you fight. Understand? You leave it up to them. You are too new to magic and fighting. They are trained specifically for this kind of thing."

Lucy nodded her understanding and turned back to Natsu. He was smiling at her as he pulled her into his arms once more and looked over her head at Gajeel. "We meet at the station just after dawn. Lets go get this bastard."

* * *

Oh no! Will Elfman and Evergreen be alright? Will Gajeel and Natsu be able to defeat the dragon? What about Natsu's beast? You'll have to keep reading to find out!

Thank you to Everyone who reviewed!

 **Crimsonlink310** : All the dragon slayers would feel the pull of being a little feral. It's why they're possessive and quick to anger, though only a few struggle like Natsu. Lucy will always be able to calm Natsu ;) I love writing fluff, it's literally the best thing for me. It makes everyone get the warm fuzzies and builds for later when the smut (As my husband puts it) comes out. I also feel like even in the manga, Natsu is always aware of Lucy and what she likes and doesn't like, he just picks and chooses what to act upon. All I will say is the dragon's injuries play a part. How? You'll just have to wait and find out.

 **FlameDragonHime** : Hahaha, again, patience!

 **Writing Pixie** : There is a lot to come with Natsu's feral side, and also with the problematic dragon. A lot of angst on the way again so... buckle up! I am looking forward to reading your story! Please send me a link when it's up! I'll be sure to check out these titles, I'm fairly new to anime and manga so I'm always looking for good ones!

 **Lizz Cold 790** : No reason to feel stupid! A valid question when you're so used to one thing and an author does another. Ask anything you need answers to, I just can't guarantee it won't just be hinting lol

 **Escapetoanime** : Haha! I look forward to really long reviews and I thank you for taking the time to review each chapter individually! I'm so glad that I can make the story come alive for you and that you're enjoying it so much. Nothing makes me happier as a writer than to hear people tell me my story is well done. It makes all the second guessing I have seem silly. Also, don't try to guess, you'll just go in circles. Only myself and my sister know what's going to happen. lol

 **Guest** : I'm glad you're happy with the chapters! If I updated every day however, I'd have no time for anything else lol. It takes me a whole week as it is to write my chapters! I'm glad you love the fluff. I do too!

 **Cookie Panda-Roo** : OMG That would be so great! Everyone just walks into some church in the north and there's Lucy in stained glass with a halo. BAHAHAHA

 **Aoutre** : Indeed it is!

 **Guest** : I'm glad you like it! Levy and Cana... still a secret! Keep reading to find out!

 **Rawrlikerue** : Yay! I keep saying it but I LOVE FLUFF! BRING IT ON! I'm glad you like the story and everything that I've come up with for Natsu and his moods. There's still so much more to come and I hope you love it all!

 **CrimsonLightKey** : Yay! I love it every week when I see new people following and favouriting! I'm so glad you like it! It's going to get so much better!


	9. Chapter 9

As it was put last week and made me laugh, Today is Monday and IT'S NOT A DRILL. Hehe.

I know I say it a lot but in all honesty, for my first fic, I still can't believe the response I'm getting and that every week I have new followers. I'm so grateful to you all!

I also wanted to clarify because one review had me thinking I never mentioned just how long this fic is going to be. I've got about 7 or 8 chapters left after this one. I haven't quite decided how much I want to put together in a couple chapters so no less than 6, no more than 9 left. I'll let you know as it gets closer :)

Beautiful cover art is done by WendyMarvellxd, find her on Deviant art.

Disclaimer: Mashima is the friggin' genius behind all this; have you seen his new drawings of all the characters spinning each other? Hilarious.

This chapter has some lemony M in it guys! So be prepared! Oh and btw... I hope you guys like roller coasters.

* * *

On their way home from the guild hall, Natsu had expressed his concern about changing in front of Gajeel. He was worried that during the trip, or during the battle, he wouldn't be able to hide what was happening. For someone else they might be able to pass it off, but Gajeel would know what it was and what it meant. Lucy had therefore volunteered the services of Taurus and Virgo to help him practice staying in control, the three of them currently sparring outside the little house she and Natsu called home. The spirits had been warned about what might happen if Natsu lost control, but both still agreed to help. Aquarius however... Lucy sometimes wondered what good she was as a spirit if she refused every request made on the basis of having a date. While Natsu and her spirits engaged in mock combat outside, Lucy spent the remainder of the night washing and repacking what they would need for the upcoming trip. The morning would be interesting, since she hadn't told Natsu how long they'd have to be on the train for. Better to let him know right before than have him refuse to board.

A few hours after sunset Lucy felt her spirits depart back to the spirit world and she sent up a thank you. She wasn't sure if they could hear her or not, but she did it anyway. Getting back to her packing, Lucy was down to the last of it now, adding a few snacks to the top of one of the bags. The door to the house slammed open suddenly and she jumped, basically throwing the chocolate covered berries she'd been holding. Walking to where they had landed she bent to pick them up and started to chastise Natsu.

"You know, it _is_ possible to enter a room without breaking down doors or making a dent in the wall. For that matter it's possible to enter a room without scaring the crap out of..." Lucy dropped the bag again on a gasp. her cheeks flamed and she froze. After a moment she straightened and looked behind her. It wasn't Natsu, but the beast who stood there. Horns, fangs, scales, wings, all were present as he placed a hand on her ass. She turned, forcing his had off her rear, but he didn't move his hand away; it slid around her hip, and rested now on her stomach. The red in his eyes did nothing to hide the heat behind them and she was taken aback by the intensity. They simply stared at each other for what felt like hours before he gave a lingering growl, full of promise, and then gave control back to Natsu.

Lucy still didn't move and when Natsu was fully himself again, he looked down to where his hand rested on her stomach and flushed a bit. His thumb drew little circles on the exposed skin as he asked.

"All packed?"

Her heart rate still hadn't returned to normal yet so all she could do was nod. In return she was gifted with a dazzling smile, after which he picked her up and set her on the bed.

"Good, then stay here while I get cleaned up and we'll sleep." He disappeared behind the screen where the tub sat and she heard him filling it with water.

Lucy was still dazed enough that she didn't protest his high handed manner and instead tucked herself into a cross legged position while she contemplated what had just occurred. Given that she had seen what the beast was capable of, she was glad he had no ill designs for herself; but of all things why was he being kind to her? Or rather why was he being overly friendly to her? Was it possible that the beast... Her cheeks flamed to life and she pushed the thought away. Behind the partition she heard a bunch of splashing and snapped back to the present, getting up off the bed to say.

"Don't you get water all over the floor! I just cleaned everything up back there!"

"Relax Luce, I just dropped the soap" Natsu reassured before she heard water hit the floor.

Letting out a frustrated noise, she walked over to her side of the dresser and pulled out a nightie and changed into it quickly, her usual place to do so held a dragon slayer at the moment. Crawling back into bed she laid down on her side and stroked Happy, the cat had not been pleased to see their luggage come out again and had settled in a long while ago to grumbling his displeasure.

"Don't worry Happy," Lucy soothed, "You don't have to come this time. You're going to stay with Asuka and her parents. You'll like that, lots of love there."

The cat didn't seem to care and let out a loud and disgruntled meow that made Lucy smile. Natsu appeared from behind the partition in a pair of shorts, hand scratching his head while he yawned. He crawled into bed and immediately wrapped his arm around Lucy's waist, drawing her to him. She smiled at the nonchalant way he did so and reached out to tug Happy closer.

"Night." He said, and seconds later she could hear the steady rhythm of his breath as he slept. Rolling her eyes she settled in to sleep.

* * *

"HOW LONG?" Natsu yelled, his face was already turning green.

"Five and a half days by train." Lucy repeated, feeling guilty for not telling him sooner. "Then three in a carriage."

Natsu looked like he was ready to bolt, but thankfully Gajeel made a remark he couldn't let slide.

"If it's too much for you Salamander, you can stay here. I don't need a second rate slayer tagging along anyway." He said as he stuffed his bag into the little storage area. Gajeel had paid for a sleeper car, since they were going to be travelling for so long. It had one bed and a pop up mattress (he'd already made it clear who got the bed), with a decent sized washroom, a table with four wooden chairs, and a few more comfortable ones scattered about. Lucy couldn't help but wonder how much this had cost him. His words however, had their desired effect and Natsu went from green, to red.

"Who you calling second rate, metal face?" He snapped and got real close to him.

Gajeel merely folded his arms across his chest and looked down at the shorter man, "Obviously, you. Are you slow too? Have the flames eaten away at your brain?"

Lucy stepped between the two men and placed her hands on their chests, pushing. Both allowed her to move them backwards a few paces. "We're going to be together in this room for a while you two, how about we don't resort to fighting before we've even left."

Natsu turned away on a growl, but Gajeel only laughed. "Hey it worked didn't it? He's not green anymore."

Lucy pulled Natsu over to the big bed and sat down on top of it. Gajeel started to protest but the look she gave him advised he not say anything. Now it was Gajeel who grumbled and he plopped down into one of the over sized chairs. The train whistle sounded shortly after and they began to depart. Natsu groaned and pressed his face further into Lucy's leg, she rolled them so they faced each other and she stroked his face, his hair, his arms. She whispered words of comfort and Natsu soaked it in, relaxing as much as he could with the nausea that rolled over him.

Later in the day she heard a sound from across the car. Gajeel hadn't moved much and she wondered if he'd fallen asleep in the chair; they did look rather comfy. She slowly moved away from a sleeping Natsu and went to see what the noise was. She nearly cried out in alarm when she took in the sight of Gajeel slunk to the floor, his hand on his stomach; just as green in the face as Natsu.

Mindful of the sleeping pinkette in the bed she whisper yelled. "Why didn't you tell me you got sick too?! Is that why you get sleeper cars?"

Gajeel just groaned and looked up at her, less than amused at her chastising. Lucy huffed and dragged the pop up mattress over to where he was, it being easier to move than the very large man, and rolled him on top of it.

"Don't you dare puke." She warned as she did it. Once finished she stood back and looked at the two incapacitated dragon slayers and crossed one arm over her body, the other covered her face. "Five and a half days of playing nursemaid to two disabled grown men." She could barely lift Natsu to get him out for fresh air, how was she supposed to move Gajeel too? Didn't he travel alone most of the time? How did he do it on his own?

Lucy's questions were answered a couple hours later when a knock sounded at the door and two burly men in uniforms came in. They tipped their hats at her and picked up Gajeel, disappearing with him into the bathroom. When they came out and replaced Gajeel on the mattress she asked them if they'd mind helping Natsu as well. They thankfully complied and Lucy found out they came by three times a day to help Gajeel to the bathroom and someone would be along with some easy to handle food; for the two of them now.

This was a great relief to Lucy, who could now enjoy the trip a little more without having to worry about lifting or feeding both men multiple times a day. She dragged a chair over to one of the windows and curled up to pour over one of the volumes she'd brought from the guilds library. She could at least try to get some research done while the two of them were incapacitated. When food arrived Lucy helped to feed both of them, then ate something a little more filling for herself. She explored the train, meeting people along the way, read some more and even started to write the story of Natsu Dragneel. She had no idea whether or not she'd ever go home or if it would ever get published, but writing it down helped Lucy get a feeling of closure in the world she created. Being able to write herself as the heroine was pretty awesome too, she just didn't know how it would end yet.

At night she slept in Natsu's arms, he always held her tight, and in no way did she mind. She even thought sometimes that she felt his lips against her head while he mumbled about the nausea; either way it was safety and comfort. The beast, thankfully, never made a full appearance when Natsu was like this. It was hard to come out in anger when with every sway of the train Natsu risked throwing up. It did however, show itself at times, the red eyes would tell Lucy he was watching, sometimes it would be while she sat by the window and read, sometimes when she fed Gajeel.

Overall the five and a half days on the train were uneventful, the train employees helping her was a massive relief and when they arrived at their final destination near the Waas mountains she felt rested and ready to go. The two men however, did not. After disembarking from the train she actually took out a book to read while waiting for them to regain control over their stomachs. When they finally got moving again and reached the inn, she felt overwhelming pity for their kitchen and slipped the proprietor a few extra jewels since it was entirely likely that they were about to be stripped of every scrap of food they had to feed the now ravenous slayers.

Lucy sat with her modest meal of stew and bread, while Natsu and Gajeel ate everything from Perry fruit, (which she thought looked like an eggplant but it taste like an orange) to fried Hodras steak. As time went on and they requested more and more food, she could tell that this was going to be another one of those places where they take one look at Natsu and yell, 'No! He's not allowed here, last time he ate all of my food!'

When both gluttons were satisfied, she followed them up to the room they had rented. Gajeel was using a toothpick to get the remnants of... something out of his teeth while Natsu rubbed his belly. Both had stupid grins on their faces while they spoke about the food.

"Man that was great! So much better that that porridge crap they had Lucy spoon feed us on the train." Natsu said with a grin.

"It's bland stuff, but at least it doesn't come up again." Gajeel turned back to Lucy as they arrived at the top of the steps. "Thanks by the way, for helping me. The train staff would have done it, I pay them enough to at least."

Lucy smiled at him, "No problem, we're family right?"

He seemed a little surprised at the sentiment but then he smirked and nodded, "That's right bunny-girl. Family."

They arrived at their designated rooms and as Natsu and Gajeel both slid the key into the door, the later looked over and said to Lucy. "Didn't you get a room?"

Lucy realized then that no one at the guild knew of their sleeping arrangements and Gajeel had been too ill on the train to notice. She opted for a half truth since Natsu had already abandoned her to flop down on the bed.

"Oh, well we're so used to sharing his one room house that it's just easier this way, not to mention it saves on jewels." She smiled at the Iron Head and hoped the blush she felt wasn't telling him she was lying.

He merely shrugged and disappeared into his room. Lucy breathed a sigh of relief, glad that Gajeel wasn't one to pry. It was mostly because he didn't care what was going on as long as it didn't interfere with what he was doing. Natsu was watching her as she came into the room, the look on his face was one she couldn't quite read. It made her warm all over and slightly uncomfortable.

"What?" Lucy asked him as she closed the door. "Do I have some stew on my face?" She lifted a finger and brushed the sides of her mouth. She didn't see his eyes flash red.

"No, you're face is clean. So we have three days by carriage to go now huh?" He looked uncomfortable with the thought, but he never took his eyes off her.

"Yeah... Sorry I didn't tell you how long of a trip it was sooner Natsu. I didn't want you to back out or worry too much about it." She came and sat beside where he lay on the bed. He reached out and took her hand, moving his thumb in circles over the back.

"It's alright, I understand why you did it. I'm not mad at all." He smiled up at her to give weight to his words. Lucy couldn't help but smile back.

"So the carriage is booked for the morning and we've got some time tonight to do something. Do you feel like checking out the town or would you rather just stay here and rest?" His fingers on her hand was making little butterflies start up in her stomach.

"We can explore for a couple hours if you want, sunset isn't for a while yet anyway." His eyes drifted to the wall that separated their room from Gajeel's. "Should we invite Metal Face?"

Lucy grinned at the name, "We can ask him, not sure if he'll say yes though."

Natsu sighed and swung himself off the bed, it was then she noticed he had a huge sauce stain on the front of his vest and she dug through his pack to find a clean one while he went to see if Gajeel would be tagging along. Natsu came back grinning, catching the vest she threw at him.

"He's snoring like a dragon over there, didn't even have to knock to know he's out. Looks like it's just us." He slipped on the new vest, tossing the dirty one on a nearby chair. Lucy suppressed a sigh. Her annoyance evaporated completely however when he reached out and took her hand, linking their fingers together. "More fun without him anyway, he's too serious. I swear he doesn't know how to have fun."

When the door was locked they headed back downstairs and out the front door, Natsu waved to the inn keeper, unfazed by the glare he was being given. Lucy gave the man an apologetic smile as they stepped out into the still bustling streets.

"So where do you think we should go? It's not an overly large town, but it's not small either. I'll bet there's a bookstore, we could look there for a book on dragons. It might have something the big stores don't." Lucy commented, Natsu grinned down at her.

"You're just using that as an excuse to buy new books."

Lucy flushed slightly, "Well it did cross my mind... but it _is_ a good idea."

Natsu laughed as they started walking, stopping to ask a local where the bookstore was and being pointed in the right direction. It didn't take long to find and Lucy was pleased to see the little shop. The bell above the door tinkled as they entered and a woman only a few years older than the two of them emerged from the back. Lucy asked if they had any books on dragons and they were directed to the second floor. It was accessible only by ladder and a small walkway lined the upper part of the store. Shelves were built into the walls so not to add weight to the floor. It was clear that Lucy was in her element now and when they had found the right section, she pulled out book after book. Once she had a decent pile she sat down on the floor and began to browse, checking to see if any of them might have what they were looking for. Natsu tried to help but Lucy just waved a book at him and told him not to mess up her system. He shrugged and wandered down the little balcony, browsing titles.

Half an hour later she had three leather bound books that looked promising and after paying the clerk they exited with their little bag of hope. They next went to the small theatre in town, a comedy troupe was passing through and Lucy thought Natsu might find it amusing. He did, maybe a little too much; he ended up laughing so hard he shot flames out of his nose and scared the crap out of the people sitting near them. They got a frozen treat after that from a street vendor, it was frozen fruit dipped in warm chocolate. The chocolate immediately hardened against the cold and it was fascinating to watch.

Natsu and Lucy found a few other things to do in the little town, including a place that served breakfast for dinner. This pleased Natsu to no end and trying to calm him down was a challenge. How he could still be hungry after all he ate a few hours ago was a mystery to Lucy, but they went in and ate anyway. She chose a small stack of pancakes while he ate... everything. They ended the day by sitting on a rock at the edge of town, the sun was setting before them and it was beautiful in all its glory. Red, pink and orange swirled together in the blue sky, only a few white clouds interrupted the bursts of colour. The bag of books sat off to the side of the rock while Lucy sat with her head on Natsu's shoulder, their hands still linked, as they had been for most of the day. Not much was said, but that was alright, just being with him was enough for her. Every so often she would feel him shift and then his lips would press against her head. Finally she spoke, needing answers. Her voice quiet when she asked.

"Natsu... what are we?"

"What do you mean?" She could hear the confusion in his voice.

"I mean are we partners, are we friends, or are we... more? I like holding hands with you and sleeping in your arms, but you said you weren't ready for a relationship. I guess I'm just trying to figure out if I'm being set up for heartbreak or if what I'm feeling is... how you feel." She couldn't look up at him, terrified of the rejection she might face.

There was silence for a couple minutes before she felt his finger beneath her chin, it tilted her face up to meet his gaze. It was filled with a sadness that extended to the smile on his face "Ah Luce, I haven't been fair have I?" He shifted to wrap both arms around her and Lucy pressed her face into his shoulder, her own arms wrapping around his middle. "I'm sorry for the way things have been going. I've been... selfish. The truth is I want so badly to be able to ask you out, but I can't. I thought it might be easier for both of us if I gave in to the little things like cuddling at night, or holding hands. I was wrong, I only endangered your heart when I can't fully return the feelings. Not while the beast is still inside me, uncontrolled. I'm scared it could come out and hurt you. If we get any closer... I can't promise you'll be safe." He sighed and leaned his head against hers.

Lucy was frozen in his arms, shock and despair coursed through her limbs. Exactly what she had been afraid of had happened, he didn't want her. She pulled out of his arms and he let her go as she stood up. "Maybe it's for the best then that we... don't keep going like we have been. Separate beds, separate rooms from now on. Friends, like in the beginning." Lucy turned back to offer him a smile that she didn't feel. She was surprised to feel a tear roll down her cheek and when Natsu stood she held a hand out to ward him off. "No, it's better you told me now rather than after I got more attached. It was my own fault for not asking sooner right?"

"Luce..." He pleaded, but she turned away.

"I'll ask the innkeeper about another room. Goodnight Natsu." She walked quickly back towards the inn and her composure held out until she had grabbed her things from Natsu's room and was in her newly acquired one. Lucy sat down on the bed, despondent, and pulled a pillow tight to her chest. Her face fell into the fabric and she gave way to the tears. How could she have been so stupid? When it all started happening she should have asked him right away what it meant, what was going to happen between them. Instead she'd let it go on like some sort of dream; now reality had crashed down around her and she had no one to blame but herself. Well... she could blame Natsu just a little.

Sleep didn't come easy and when she woke in the morning she felt deflated. Natsu didn't look any better, his eyes were immediately drawn to Lucy when she entered the tavern to eat breakfast. She murmured a good morning but didn't make eye contact with either one of the men. Gajeel noticed the tension between the two and wondered what had happened. You take a nap and miss everything. Soon after breakfast they boarded the carriage that would carry them for the remainder of their journey. While the two slayers lay prone in a tangled heap on one side of it, Lucy curled up beside the window and stared out at the sky for most of the day. By the time they stopped for the night and made camp, she was more than ready for the day to be over. Natsu tried to speak to her but she brushed him off with excuses about being tired. After eating some of the fruit and bread from the packed picnic basket the inn had sent, she curled up on her bedroll.

Lucy had hoped that sleep would come easy for her tonight, but it didn't. She spent a lot of time thinking and in the end had to chastise herself for how she was behaving. They had never actually been dating and getting upset over something that never was was pointless. She resolved in the morning that she would be the bright and cheerful Lucy that everyone knew, so with her mind made up, she finally slept. Rising the next morning before her either of her companions, she made a big breakfast.

"Good morning!" She said brightly as the two of them rose to the smell of Hodras bacon. "I've got everything ready so eat up! We've got a long way to go again today."

Both men grumbled over that fact but began to eat anyway. Lucy had been sure to make enough to keep them well fed until they stopped to make camp again that night. So it went on for the rest of their travel that Lucy acted like nothing was wrong while Natsu seemed to slip into a deeper blackness with each passing day. He was beginning to snap at the both of them for no reason and more and more his beast was trying to break free. Lucy found it a struggle to keep Gajeel from noticing, but she somehow managed.

They arrived at the only town left that hadn't been wiped out by the poison cloud dragon and made their way to the inn. Three rooms were acquired and then they sat down in Gajeel's room to work out how they were going to find the dragon. It's home was in the nearby forest, but the trees bordered the mountains and therefore it could have made its home in any of the hundreds of caves carved out of the rock. The three of them made a plan to search both the forest and the caves and put it into action the following day. For the next two weeks they searched from just after breakfast to right before dinner. Lucy and Gajeel worked together easily, and even when Gajeel paired with Natsu it went well. However the few times Natsu and Lucy had tried to work together, it had not had the same outcome. Lucy was cheerful, asking him where he wanted to start, what cave he thought would be best, trying to reestablish their friendship; but Natsu would snap at her that he didn't have any idea and she could see the beast behind his eyes, waiting to come out. Eventually Gajeel intervened and had Natsu work alone, while he paired with Lucy permanently. The two of them were walking together towards a den they'd spotted the day before when Gajeel finally asked.

"Everything okay between you and Salamander? Seems to me that something happened." He was being surprisingly kind to her and Lucy couldn't help but smile.

"We had a... slight misunderstanding. I'm trying to move past it but it seems like he's holding on and I'm not sure why. It was his idea." She shrugged as if it didn't matter but the pain in her eyes belied her words. "Truth be told I'm afraid we can't ever go back to the way things were."

The iron dragon slayer awkwardly placed a hand on Lucy's shoulder and said, "I'm sure he'll come around, Natsu's got to know that friendship with you is better than nothing."

She smiled up at him and then kissed his cheek. "Thanks."

His cheeks turned red and he mumbled something about emotional women. That night Natsu didn't come back at the time they usually met up in front of the inn, and as the hours crept by, Lucy began to worry. He finally returned just after midnight, she could see the blood on his clothing, could see where he tried to wash it away. Despite the fact that she was waiting outside his door, Natsu moved passed her without a word and closed the door with a firm snap.

She didn't sleep well that night, knowing he had most likely killed again. Had it been another animal? Or this time was it a human? Lucy was distracted the next day and Gajeel stopped their search at lunch hour, telling her to go back to the inn, she was no use to them like this and he would search better on his own. She started to wander back to the inn when she heard a familiar snuffling sound. Lucy followed the it and came upon Natsu as he stalked a rabbit. A twig snapped under her foot and the rabbit fled, causing him to whip around, snarling. She didn't cower, she didn't show any fear, and a few minutes later he was himself again.

"What the hell are you doing here Luce? You could have gotten hurt." His voice was filled with censure.

"I was worried about you. The beast is coming out more and I don't want it to do something we'll all regret. I promised to help, remember?" Lucy took a step towards Natsu, he didn't retreat.

"You should stay away from me, I can't control him. What if he stalks you next?" She could hear the real fear in his voice.

"Do you know how often I've seen the beast now? Not once have I ever felt threatened by his presence." She was standing in front of him now, but he wouldn't look at her. "Natsu talk to me, I'm sorry if I hurt you that night, I was hurting too. I'd built up this fantasy in my head without ever asking you your feelings. It was my own stupid mistake. I'm trying to get past it, to be friends again."

Natsu was shaking his head and he finally looked up at her. "I don't want to be friends."

Just like before, Lucy felt ice through her body. "Oh... I understand. Well, we can just be teammates, and after this job is done we only have to see each other at the guild okay?" She gave him a smile, but it faded as he started laughing. After two weeks of bad moods it was a little strange to hear the sound.

"Ah Luce, I never had a chance." Natsu said on a sigh; reaching out with one hand he pulled her tight to him while the other threaded through her hair. His lips came down and met hers in a heated kiss. For one brief moment, Lucy was too shocked to do anything, but soon the warmth of his embrace, the gentle pressure of his lips, even the smell of him, invaded all her senses and she melted against his strong body. Her arms moved as if they had a will of their own and wrapped around Natsu's neck, pulling herself closer. She received a growl of approval from the slayer, who deepened the kiss. Lucy felt his tongue move along her lower lip and she gasped, giving him the opportunity to let his tongue to invade her mouth. She felt dizzy, she had never experienced something as wonderful as Natsu Dragneel kissing her; but then he started touching her. She felt his hand move from her head down to her neck, then slide along her shoulders and down the side of her body. It rested first on her stomach, but then moved to cup one of her breasts. His thumb found her nipple and he flicked it gently. She gasped softly into his mouth and she could feel his smile. He broke away briefly to speak in a low voice.

"I've been an idiot Lucy, twice now. I thought we could be as close as a couple, without calling ourselves one. Then I thought I could go back to being just friends with you but that was worse. I was miserable without you beside me Luce, not just at night, but when we ate, while we searched for the dragon. I was angry with myself for messing everything up, kept telling myself it was better if I stayed away from you. I can't do it anymore though Lucy, I can't stay away. If you'll have me, I'd like to be your boyfriend."

Lucy was grinning like an idiot by the time he'd finished, nodding her lips found his again and she kissed him with all the feeling she could muster. Natsu made a noise and crushed her against him. He broke the kiss a few minutes later to begin a fiery trail along her jaw with his lips, moving slowly down to her neck. "So beautiful..." He whispered, and Lucy smiled, knowing he meant it. Her head dropped back to allow him better access to the skin at her throat, and he took advantage by undoing the zipper at the front of her shirt. She was shocked enough that she gasped, but then she felt his tongue on the soft mounds of her breast and she lost all thought completely. A moan escaped Lucy and Natsu grunted. Both of her hands made their way into his hair and she tugged lightly at first, but when the wet cavern of his mouth found her aching nipple she yanked. Natsu laughed softly but continued his tender assault by laving at the engorged bud with his tongue. He showered the same attentions to her other breast before he moved back to her mouth for a deep kiss. Lucy had no idea how long they stayed in each others arms, but she could have stayed with him like this forever.

The magic was broken when Gajeel's voice suddenly sounded from somewhere near them. Lucy scrambled to do up her top. "As glad as I am the two of you have worked things out, I thought you should know. I found the dragon's lair." He suddenly appeared before them. "Are you ready to kill this son of a bitch?"

* * *

I really hope you guys enjoyed my first little dabble into the rating of M for Lemony goodness. It was my first attempt at writing anything like this so please tell me if you liked it or hated it. I admit to feeling extremely self conscious about not only that but the whole roller coaster of emotions that led to them finally becoming a couple. Next time on BTP, DRAGON BATTLE!

Thank you to all who reviewed!

 **Crimsonlink310** : Favourite fic? Wow I am so honoured! I had to put a Lucy kick in there, it was just too perfect. As I keep saying, I love fluff, fluff is my life. It pleases me to no end that others love it as much as I do. You're right in the fact that the local library won't have anything of value for them, but they'll keep looking! I could never avoid mentioning all of our friends at Fairy Tail. They're too big a part of the manga and the anime to leave out. When something happens that affects them all, they all join in to help. I'm glad you liked their close relationship, I feel like they're in tune to each other quite a bit and I do my best to portray that here. Levy and Cana are my closely guarded secret. I shall not give anything away before it's time! So what did you think of my little lemon scene?

 **Guest** : Yay! I'm so glad you liked it! Did you like this one?

 **RoJeRu** : Every Monday!

 **Gaia Kame** : You are... close. That's all I will say. :P

 **escapetoanime** : I'm thinking I need to create some sort of award for Lucy's acting. Brainstorm with me, what should we call it? I love tired reviews btw and I really hope you find a job soon!.

 **chattrekisses** : Haha, I'm glad it's your favourite. thing. EVER! Well they defined it, did you like it?

 **Caslspirit15** : well they definitely did DTR. How did you like it? Geez I keep asking, can you tell I'm nervous about it lol.

: I'm glad you like it! I always hate catching up to a story and having to wait too, but I update every Monday so you can look forward to that! It always bothered me in fics that authors insisted their characters be oblivious right until the end. Yes in some stories it works, but I like this way too :) Hope you liked this chapter!

 **FlameDragonHime** : It's so good of you to feel protective of Evergreen and Elfman. Don't worry, they'll be fine.

 **cookie panda-roo** : *dances around singing about fluff* I think Makarov knows something is up with Natsu, but as yet he doesn't know what.

 **Abdltf** : Never! I'm not cruel!

 **monkey kix ass** : Every Monday! I'm glad you like it so far. Lucy's a clever girl, she'll come up with something ;)

 **Bitch ate my cupcake** : Ok first of all. Your name is the best thing ever. I even read it in a pissed off voice. Second, YAY! I'm glad you like it! Do you still?

 **CrimsonLightKey** : Nooo! Don't panic! It's not done yet. Don't fret my faithful follower! *offers a lollipop to soothe nerves*

 **Mystery Day Dreamer** : I'm so jealous you get to go to a con! Fan expo is next weekend here and I don't get to go. *pouts* I hope you were at least a little rested for the day! I'm glad my story was that intriguing for you that you stayed up so late! What did you think of this chapter?

 **FairyTailLover04** : I gave you some lemons. Did I do good? lol


	10. Chapter 10

I am quite pleased that my first foray into the naughty was well received, I promise in time there will be more. As for now... DRAGON BATTLE!

Cover art by WendyMarvellxd. Check her out on Deviant Art!

Disclaimer: Mashima owns all and I am so excited by his most recent interview. It made me squeal with joy. I won't give spoilers, but seriously, YAY!

Also... It's my birthday on Friday :D

* * *

Gajeel had ignored the glaring looks from Natsu and the embarrassment shown by Lucy for having been caught. He instead led them to a cave about 10 minutes away that was carved out of a fairly thick portion of the mountain and therefore, was rather deep. They were being extremely quiet as they crept up to it and found a place to watch that gave them a clear view, but also kept them hidden. They agreed to observe the dragon for a few days while formulating a plan of action. Going all out against an enemy you had no information on wasn't the best idea; it was Natsu's usual way of doing things, but he was overruled.

It was obvious that this was a poison cloud dragon's lair, not only because of the few piles of bones from various animals killed for food, but by the scorched earth from acidic spit. As they watched the ground began to shake and a large dragon emerged from inside the cave. It stood about 12 feet high and double that in both length and wing span. Slit like eyes were yellow in colour and its olive green scales had rigid edges. Four thick spikes covered its head from front to back and then trailed down its spine to the tail, which flared out like a rudder. Its claws were big, black talons, sharp enough to dig up dirt with each step it took. Two long jagged scars marred the side of its body. This battle, when it took place, would not be easy.

"I think this one is female." Gajeel whispered. "When I found the place earlier she was carrying in a mouthful of grass, I assume for a nest."

"Female or not, if she's the one who hurt Elfman and Evergreen, she's going to pay the price." Natsu said softly, fist hitting the open palm on his other hand. "We'll show her what it means to mess with Fairy Tail."

"That's all well and good Natsu but remember how dangerous she is. We've battled dragons countless times before, but this one could kill us without even touching us." Gajeel warned. "That's why we just need to watch her for a while, get an idea of her temperament, habits, weaknesses."

They watched as the large dragon laid down outside of the cave and a few seconds later the sun poured in through the trees, bathing her in warmth. Every scale suddenly lit up as light refracted off the glossy surface, shooting little sunbeams in all directions.

"How beautiful." Lucy said in awe.

"But deadly." Gajeel reminded her. "We'll start tomorrow, we all need some food and some rest. It'll be dark soon and I really don't want to find out she can see heat signatures."

They quietly retreated from their position and turned back towards the town. Once a safe distance away, Gajeel looked sideways at the two of them, Natsu had taken Lucy's hands and their fingers were threaded together as they walked.

"So it's safe to assume then that everything has been figured out between the two of you and I don't have to worry about watching my own back because you two can't work together?" They both knew he was curious, but masking it behind false reasoning. He liked to pretend he didn't care, when they all knew he did.

Natsu pulled Lucy closer to him and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, looking at Gajeel as if daring him to object. "Lucy's my girlfriend now."

Lucy flushed, but smiled in pleasure while Gajeel smirked. "You guys just cost me 1000 jewel, but I guess I'm happy for you anyway."

A look was exchanged between the new couple before Lucy finally asked, "How did we cost you 1000 jewel?"

Gajeel chuckled, "Since Lucy showed up here, it's been obvious to all of us at the guild that something would eventually happen between the two of you. Anyone who can put up with Salamander, let alone live with him for a few months is obviously made for him. We started a pool on when it would happen, I said it wouldn't happen for over a year. Damn that Mira and her romantic head. She just made a killing, 1000 jewel from 20 people." He was grumbling by the end of it, clearly disgruntled.

"You... you guys took bets... on when we would start dating?!" Lucy had been blushing before, she was red as a tomato now.

"Well ya, Salamander doesn't just invite anyone to his place you know. I've been in the guild five years and have been there once. Mira and Juvia didn't let their surprise show much when he offered, but after you two left? They wouldn't shut up about it. Fairly soon we started joking about placing bets, then after your first job... We did." Gajeel said, smirk back in place.

Lucy had no idea what to say now, she had been dumped into this world by a meddling Tarot card reader, who thought it would be hilarious to place her with the very dragon slayer who had been causing her so much trouble when she wrote. Then almost instantly, the people in this world she had created had seen that she and Natsu were going to end up together. Had Cana seen it too? Had Lucy unknowingly created Natsu as the sort of man she wanted to be with? Was that why she couldn't think of anyone to pair him with, or create one? Lucy fell silent, but it went unnoticed because Natsu spoke.

"So you guys have just been waiting for it?" He asked with a bit of disbelief.

"We thought it may have happened while you guys were away, you two were awfully lovey dovey when you got back to the guild, all hugging and stuff. We were told that doesn't count though, you'd have to say it outright." He shook his head. "Mira had it right though, we should all have known better than to bet against her."

Natsu grinned and kissed Lucy's temple, saying low enough for only her to hear, "Aren't you glad it didn't take me a year to figure out?"

She couldn't help but smile back up at him, though her thoughts still troubled her. They arrived at the inn and cancelled their rental of one room, back to sharing with Natsu she went. It was a huge relief to both of them and after dinner they settled into the bed and just held each other. The last week had been hell on both their emotions and neither one seemed inclined to let the other go. Lucy was laying with her head tucked under Natsu's chin when she felt a little tug at the ends of her hair, she shifted to look up at him and he kissed her as soon as she did. It lingered sweetly for a moment before he pulled back smiling.

"What?" Lucy asked softly.

Natsu threaded his fingers through her hair and then said, "I was just thinking of the reactions when we get back to the guild. Gajeel's already admitted he lost, so if we can just get him to stay quiet, we could wait until everyone is all seated at the guild and then... just do this." He leaned in and kissed her again, a little harder this time, tongue invading her mouth. By the time he pulled away, Lucy was in a daze.

"There would be a lot of yelling I think." She said breathlessly.

Natsu laughed now, "I bet there will be, along with Mira's gloating. She's a sweet tempered woman most of the time, but give her a competition..."

Lucy smiled, "Sounds like a plan. For now though, sleep." She yawned. "We've got a day of camping out completely silent in the bushes tomorrow, and that's going to be exhausting."

Natsu turned serious now. "I wonder if Elf and Ever are okay."

Lucy frowned and laid her head back down on his chest. "I hope so."

"Me too." He kissed the top of her head and they both settled into sleep.

* * *

By noon the next day, Lucy was of the opinion that dragons in general, lead boring lives. They had arrived just after sunrise and watched as the dragon laid around lazily for about two hours before she got up and wandered into the forest. Gajeel followed her and returned when she did, now carrying a dead animal the size of a horse. They watched her brutally tear into the thing as she ate, Lucy had to look away. She and Natsu followed her next when she went to a nearby river and rolled around in it to wash off the blood. Then she took a nap in the water.

This thing hardly seemed like a cold blooded killer, but they couldn't ignore the fact that three towns were now wiped completely out and Evergreen and Elfman lay dying in the guilds infirmary. By the time they got back to the inn that night they were all confused. Surely a dragon bent on destruction would spend their day doing something a little more... evil wouldn't they?

"Do we just confront her? Ask why she did it?" Lucy wondered. She sat beside Natsu, their fingers intertwined.

"I wouldn't do anything for a few more days." Gajeel warned. "Just because she didn't do anything today, doesn't mean she won't tomorrow or the day after. Even evil takes a break sometimes. At least I assume it does."

"What if she just does more of the same like today, then do we ask her?" Lucy asked. "What if it wasn't her, this is where Poison cloud dragons live right? Couldn't it have been another?"

Natsu and Gajeel looked at each other, both knew how unlikely that was given how territorial dragons tended to be. "We'll wait a few more days." Gajeel said again. "Then we'll decide what to do."

There was a knock on the door then and when Lucy opened it, the innkeeper was standing there holding a tray of berry tarts. "Hello guests! We are letting all our visitors know that the Tsaroberry festival starts in two days time! There will be pie eating contests, baking contests, jam and jelly making; and of course, games and food! We invite everyone to attend! Here is a sample of our Tsaroberry, it only grows here in the north and we believe it is one of the best anywhere in Fiore."

He offered the tray to them and they each took one, the innkeeper waited expectantly for them to take a bite. Lucy was the first to react. "Wow! This is fantastic!"

"Ya gramps it's great!" Natsu echoed, having finished his tart in one bite.

"It's good." Gajeel said stoically.

The innkeeper beamed with pride. "We do so hope you'll stay and join us in this celebration, dinner is being served downstairs," He looked at Natsu and Gajeel with just a touch of resentment before he smiled again. "Please, as always, help yourself to as much as you'd like." He bowed then and moved on to the next door, starting his speech over.

Lucy was looking at the two men, she didn't dare ask if it were possible to go. They were here on a job after all, but both of them could tell she wanted to. Once more the dragon slayers looked at each other; Natsu shrugged and Gajeel sighed.

"I suppose we can go, but in the afternoon. We'll watch the dragon in the morning." He said in a grumble.

Lucy broke out in a grin and impulsively kissed Gajeel on the cheek. There was a growl from behind her and she turned to see Natsu's eyes were red, his lip curled up in a snarl. Oops. She blocked Natsu from Gajeel's view while she walked over and gave him a lingering kiss, pleased to see his eyes back to normal when she pulled away.

"Thank you." She said brightly. "I know we have work to do, but it's been a long couple weeks and honestly, I could use some fun, couldn't you guys?"

"We already said yes bunny-girl. No need to badger us about it." Gajeel said, walking towards the door. "Lets go eat."

After eating, Natsu and Lucy bid Gajeel goodnight and crawled into bed. The day hadn't necessarily been strenuous, but just watching and waiting could be just as tiring as a battle. The exhaustion they both felt didn't stop the little make-out session they had before both slipped into sleep though.

Lucy's dreams were pleasant, she didn't know what they were about, but a warmth kept stealing over her body. It started at her neck and moved down one side of her body to the thigh, then back up the other side. After it happened a few times she felt the warmth settle over her chest, and a pressure begin at her neck. She gave herself up to the pleasant feelings, slowly being dragged back towards consciousness. When her eyes finally opened, it took a second to realize the warmth was Natsu's hand on her breast, and the pressure was his lips at her throat. She arched slightly into his touch and sighed softly. His head came up to look at her.

It wasn't Natsu touching her however, but the beast. His eyes glowed red in the dark, scales appearing around them. She could see the horns protruding from his head and hear the gentle flap of his wings. For a moment she didn't know what to do; the beast was a part of Natsu, but for the moment, a completely separate part of him. In the end she settled back and looked up at him with a warm smile; accepting his beast was accepting all of him. Lucy reached up slowly and dragged a finger down his cheek. There was a growl in response and the beast leaned down to kiss her. It was much more intense, more demanding than anything she and Natsu had shared so far. The beast shifted then and both hands moved under her shirt, each grabbing a breast and squeezing, playing. Lucy moaned into the kiss and was given a throaty hum in return. His leg nudged hers apart and she didn't stop him from moving between them. Hands leaving her breasts, they braced his body as he loomed over her. His lips left hers to begin kissing and nipping down her throat to her shoulder. Lucy's hands came up to play through his hair, arching to press their bodies closer together; she was breathless. Lucy would never give herself to the beast before Natsu, but she couldn't deny she liked what he was doing. The beast let his hips roll against hers a few times before he pulled back altogether and Lucy could see the smile on his face, the satisfaction in his eyes. With a last growl she watched the red fade, and the rest of what made the beast shrink away.

Natsu came back to her, blinking. Lucy had her arms around his neck and was smiling up at him. He looked bewildered as to how they'd gotten into this situation, so she said lightly.

"Your beast likes me I think."

She knew he was aroused, she could feel the evidence against her core, but he made no move to continue where the beast had left off. Instead he looked down at her with concern.

"Did he hurt you? Force you?" His hand came up to stroke her neck where a slight mark was forming.

Lucy shook her head, the smile never leaving her lips. "I told you, he doesn't hurt me. He's gentle, careful. I think your beast likes me as much as you do."

Natsu dropped his head down onto her chest and sighed. "It still worries me, thinking that he might use my body to take advantage of you." He looked up again when she tugged at his hair.

"I can handle the beast, trust me." She grinned, trying to reassure him. Though she knew that if it came down to it, he could force her and she'd have little recourse. Leaning up, Lucy kissed him deeply, once more heating her blood, and his. Their tongues waged war on each other for dominance and her hands wandered over his bare skin. She felt him shudder beneath her fingertips but too soon he pulled back.

"We should sleep." Natsu's voice was heavy as he stroked her hair, he stole a few more soft kisses before rolling off her and pulling her body close to his. His fingers gently stroked the exposed flesh of her belly while they relaxed again.

Lucy felt charged, needy, but knew it was the right choice. They'd just started dating after all, and there was so much going on that it... just didn't feel right. Not yet anyway. So closing her eyes she whispered. "Goodnight Natsu."

* * *

There wasn't much difference in the routine of the dragon while they watched the next day. Hunting, sleeping, splashing around in the river. The difference today however, was when she walked into the forest until coming upon a clearing. Here she took to the sky, where she hovered for nearly a half hour before coming back down to wait another two, then headed back to the cave. It was strange, almost like she was waiting for something. Whatever it was, it never happened.

Lucy told Gajeel and Natsu it seemed like she was sad, but the two of them scoffed at her. What did she have to be sad about? She had destroyed three towns, hurt their friends; who knows how long until the town they stayed in now would become a target. She stayed silent, thinking.

That night at dinner, there were even more dishes containing the Tsaroberry, a precursor to the festival beginning tomorrow. It was used as a glaze on the meat, dressing for the salad, made into a sorbet for dessert. Good thing it was a tasty berry, otherwise they probably wouldn't be eating any of the food tonight. Well Lucy might not have, she didn't think Natsu and Gajeel cared much about flavour, as long as it was edible. They certainly didn't taste much the way they ate.

The next day, after another uneventful morning of watching the dragon, they returned to find the festival in full swing. There was music and laughter, children running around all over the place. The three of them walked around for a while before Gajeel and Natsu were dragged into one of the pie eating contests. That was a mistake on the locals part, she didn't think there were enough pies for them. Lucy laughed to herself when she saw the innkeeper taking bets that the two visitors would eat more than the rest of the 8 contestants combined. In the end, of course, it ended up being a battle between the two slayers on who could eat the most. Unfortunately, just as Lucy had predicted, they ran out of pies before they ran out of time on the clock. It would have to be settled another day.

Lucy sampled a few different kinds of jams and jellies, even settling in to help one woman make hers, before picking out two to take back home and share with her friends. She was surprised to see a large tub filled with the berries and a bunch of people inside stepping on them. She asked what was going on and was told they were crushing the berries to make wine. It actually looked like a lot of fun and Lucy kicked off her shoes to join in on it. Natsu jumped in a few minutes later, overzealous in his stomping of the berries. Lucy ended up with a good bit of juice on her clothes, but then, so did Natsu. They were aiming for each other after all, both laughing with each shot taken, each spray of the juice. Gajeel stood outside the vat with his arms folded and a grimace on his face. When they exited the tub, Lucy asked him what was wrong.

"You guys are awful happy about being covered in sticky berry juice. It's going to stain."

Natsu rolled his eyes. "Sometimes it's fun to get a little dirty you know."

Gajeel smirked at his choice of words. "I'm not above getting dirty, just of a different sort."

Lucy felt herself blush to the roots of her hair. "Okay... moving on!" She heard Gajeel laughing as she walked away. She took part as a guest judge in a pie making contest. Each judge ate a bit of the pie and scored them on taste, texture, and presentation. Then all the scores were added up, the winner getting a big blue ribbon. It was all so simple and Lucy loved it. By the time they got back to the inn, they were full of berries and ready for sleep.

Natsu and Lucy bathed, separately, and then slept. The following morning they gathered in Gajeel's room to discuss the dragon.

"I think it's time we went with Lucy's idea and just confront her. Three days of watching has given us no clue as to whether or not she's really the one who caused the deaths of all those people." Gajeel said, leaning back in his chair, one leg bent across the other.

"The only way to find out is to ask." Natsu agreed. "But just in case, we need to lead her away from the town. She's too close right now and if it comes to a fight, I don't want anyone here getting hurt."

"The clearing" Lucy said. "There's plenty of room there and it's far enough away that there shouldn't be any interference from the locals."

Gajeel nodded, "Then lets eat a little something and head out. We'd be wasting our time watching her any longer."

After a quick breakfast they were on their way back to the cave, the dragon hadn't come out for the day yet and so they waited for her to make an appearance. It was nearly noon before the female exited the cave. The three of them stepped out of their concealment behind some bushes, but before any of them could speak, the dragon's head had whipped around and she snarled.

"More of you?! How many do I have to kill before you get the message?!" She reared back on her hind legs and when her feet slammed back into the ground, all three of them were knocked off their feet. The dragon charged them as they got back to their feet, just barely dodging the swing of her tail.

"Gajeel!" Natsu yelled.

"Right!" The iron dragon slayer raced into the woods, they could hear him calling. "Iron dragon, CLUB!" A long metal rod appeared from in between the trees and slammed into the side of the dragon. She roared and turned to give chase. Gajeel kept up his attacks until they all made it to the clearing, there the three of them stood facing off against the angry poison cloud dragon.

"Lucy, call Taurus and stay back by the tree line. You've never fought a real dragon before, not like this, and we don't want you to get hurt." Natsu said, he kissed her quickly and forced her behind him.

Lucy did what was asked of her and headed back for the trees, there she pulled out her key and lifted it to the sky. "Open, Gate of the Golden Bull! TAURUS!" There was the sound of a doorbell and the Spirit appeared before her.

"Miss Luuuucy, but you are looking beauuuutiful!" The spirit said, she could practically see the hearts in his eyes.

"I need you to watch my back Taurus, Natsu and Gajeel are fighting that dragon over there, but I don't need to get involved. Just make sure I don't get hurt okay?" She had completely ignored his somewhat pervy hello.

"You got it Miss Luuucy. I won't let anything huuurt you." He planted himself in front of her and raised his axe, a sentinel on guard.

Natsu and Gajeel had meanwhile begun fighting in earnest with the dragon. Everything was happening so fast that she couldn't really see what was going on. All she could hear were the cries from both men and the dragon.

"Fire dragon, IRON FIST" Natsu called out and she watched him slam his hand into the dragons face.

On the heel of that attack, giving the dragon no time to react, Gajeel was yelling. "Iron dragon, KUNAI!" Several small metal knives shot out and lined along the dragons body.

The dragon was thrown slightly off balance by the attacks, but they did no real damage, instead it made her angry. Letting out a roar she opened her mouth wide and spit acid in the direction of first Natsu, and then Gajeel. Only their quick movements kept them from being covered in the bone melting substance. The ground around them shriveled under the green acid, and now they'd have to watch where they stepped.

Fire and iron met scale and acid, over and over again. They found out her tail spiked when she was on the offensive and those spikes shot out One hit Gajeel in his left arm and it suddenly dropped to his side.

"It's a paralytic." He yelled at Natsu. "Don't get hit!" Thankfully it hadn't been a leg and he could still move around, still attack."

"Fire dragon, WING ATTACK!" Natsu yelled, running at the dragon, who reared back on it's hind legs again and slammed back down, trying to knock him to the ground again. He jumped at the last moment however and his attack slammed into the exposed dragon. It roared in pain, the hit doing damage this time. Out of every pore in her body, greenish yellow smoke started to form.

"Get away from it!" Gajeel yelled, both dragon slayers retreating. It soon enveloped the clearing and all four of them were forced back into the woods. The dragon slayers stayed a good distance away from Lucy, trying not to draw her and her spirit into the battle. They couldn't control the poison cloud however, and Taurus lifted Lucy over his shoulder to carry her further away from danger.

It was after they had stopped running that it happened, they had moved what they assumed was a safe distance away and turned back towards where they came from, watching for either dragon or deadly cloud. Neither Lucy, nor Taurus saw the glob of acid headed toward them from behind. The dragon had apparently seen her fleeing and decided she was an easy enough target. Just before the killing green spit would have covered Lucy, she was slammed into from behind. Falling to the ground on a cry, she watched Taurus disappear under the onslaught of ooze. Looking up Lucy was surprised to see it was the beast, not Natsu; he let out a snarl and then charged off in the direction of the dragon. She could hear animal sounds now, from both the beast and the dragon he fought.

While the battle raged in the distance, Gajeel appeared before her, panting. His shirt was ripped and he had dirt smeared across his face. "We need to go Lucy, everything just got a whole lot more dangerous; Natsu's gone feral. There's no telling what he'll do once he finishes with the dragon." He hauled her up to her feet. As he did so they heard the keening wail of the dragon and then silence.

"Shit." Gajeel swore hard and shoved Lucy behind his body. She didn't even have a chance to tell him there was nothing to be afraid of. "There's no running now, he'll only follow."

"Gajeel wait" Lucy started, but he shushed her.

"I'm listening." Was his explanation. He suddenly swiveled to the right, a hand guiding her from behind, keeping his body in front of hers for protection. The beast suddenly appeared from between the trees, he was covered in blood; it coated his face, dripped off his scales and his horns, soaked into his clothes. The fabric on his was torn in places, non existent in others, and he walked slowly towards them, a growl issuing from his throat.

"I won't let him hurt you Luce." Gajeel swore, but Lucy was already trying to get around him.

"Gajeel you don't understand, you really need to let me go to him."

"Are you insane woman? Do you have any idea how dangerous he is right now? He'll kill you without a thought! Salamander would kill me if I let that happen." He pushed her further behind his back and it caused the beast to snap loudly, saliva and blood mixing in the mouth that had been so gentle on her body only two days before.

"I can calm him down, please you have to trust me." She slipped out of his grasp and ducked under his arm. She was halfway to the beast when Gajeel grabbed her around the waist and hauled her back. It was the absolute worst thing he could have done.

The beast let out an unearthly noise and lunged at Gajeel. Lucy was knocked to the side as the beast and the iron dragon slayer fought. The beast clawed and bit, drawing blood from wherever he struck. Gajeel was doing his best to fight him off without hurting Natsu, but the beasts sheer strength and rage was overpowering him. Lucy got to her feet and yelled.

"Stop! Please! Natsu you have to stop him! Don't let him hurt Gajeel!"

Nothing changed, the beast continued to snap and snarl, his claws digging into flesh, blood flowing from the wounds. Gajeel managed to get out from under the beast, but only for a moment. He was grabbed by the hair and slammed back down to the ground. Fangs found flesh and Gajeel let out a cry of pain. Lucy could see him loosing, could see the beast killing him. She did the only thing she could think of.

Running up to the beast she threw herself onto his back. The beast reared back, his body twisting and moving, trying to throw her off.

"Stop this! Please! Beast, Natsu, one of you! STOP THIS!" She begged. The beast fought her for a few moments more before her voice penetrated and he stopped fighting her. She had scratches to her hands and arms now and her face was covered in the blood of dragon and friend. The beast fell to his knees, and then bent at the waist, hands in the grass. His breathing was ragged, heavy, and slowly, so slowly she watched as Natsu returned to her.

She crawled off his back and ran to where Gajeel lay unmoving. He was bleeding from neck, arms, torso and legs. "Oh gosh... no. You'll be okay Gajeel I swear! We'll get you help!"

"I told you... I was dangerous." She heard the breathy, anguished voice from behind her. Whirling around she saw Natsu, holding his arm across his chest, staring in agony at his friend lying on the ground.

"No, Natsu. It wasn't you, it was the beast!" She rose to go to him back he backed away from her.

"Don't you get it Lucy? I am the beast, he is me." He kept moving away from her, his eyes fixed on Gajeel.

"You are not the beast! That's not who you are!" She insisted, but then he yelled.

"LOOK AT WHAT I'VE DONE!" He was panting now, "I almost killed my friend! I hurt you!" He shook his head and kept up his backward steps. "I can't... I can't put you in danger anymore. I can't put anyone in danger. Next time I might not stop." He finally looked over at her and she saw the haunted, empty look in his eyes. "I'm sorry Luce."

"Don't you dare!" She warned. "Don't you dare run away from this! We will fix it! We will find a way!"

"There isn't a way..." With a last look, Natsu turned and ran into the woods.

"NATSU!" Lucy screamed, tears streaming down her face, hand outstretched. She started to chase after him but stopped when she remembered Gajeel lay unconscious and bleeding behind her. "COME BACK!" She begged, but he was gone. She fell to her knees, and wept.

* * *

I'm sorry, oh my gosh I'm so sorry. Please don't hate me! It had to be done!

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed!

 **FairyTailLover04** : How about now? lol

 **Cookie-panda roo** : Haha, he def wants Lucy babies ;) What else would Gajeel do but cock block?

 **FlameDragonHime** : Please explain! I don't understand why you are so upset! Don't you know it'll all work out in the end?!

 **Gaia Kame** : Then I change it to... YAY LIME! lol there will be lemon eventually though, so look forward to that. I'm glad you enjoyed it and now have something to look forward to on Mondays. Btw, where is Ja Ne from? I can literally hear someone saying it in my head but cannot place it.

 **Guest** : Shhh... don't give away secrets.

 **Celtika82** : Why do you laugh? Are you being sarcastic? AHH!

 **Writing Pixie** : Well he did exactly what you asked for, was it everything you wanted? I will read your fan fic as soon as I have time and I look forward to your original as well!

 **Caslspirit15** : Don't you know I love a happy ending? Everyone has to a suffer a little first though.

 **Crimsonlink310** : Yay no cardinal sins of smut! I'm glad you liked the little bit of sizzle and as I said to someone else, of course Gajeel was going to ruin it. He's like... the anti fun lol. It's funny the way I'm describing so much stuff in my fic because when I read, I tend to gloss over that stuff. I'm trying really hard not to now that I know how much effort goes into it. As for how the dragon issue is resolved... Well, it was partly done now, but I'll admit... it's not quite done.

 **Bitch Ate My Cupcake** : Your dealer is here with your next fix! Don't hate me.

 **Angel** : Thank you! I'm so glad you like it! I have an outline all prepared for the rest of the chapters but it's not set in stone so we will see what happens!

 **Rawrlikerue** : Well there was jealousy... lol Didn't end well though...

 **Escapetoanime** : Well family is so important to spend time with! My sister reads and helps me edit all of my chapters before I post, just to make sure I didn't goof somewhere. I'm so glad you could sympathize with Lucy and could feel everything she felt. One of my favourite experiences when reading is being able to feel that emotion of the character, like an ache in my chest. It makes it all the sweeter when they finally get together, I just burst with joy. You are not a pervert! lol I welcome any and all help for writing, especially since it's my first foray into many different forms of it! You also have just the same sort of thinking I do, build until it snaps. We'll have to wait and see how I do on that front though.

 **AlphaArchAngel** : I'm glad you like it! At least you discovered it and binged it right before a new chapter was to post. Here's another one! Don't hate me for it lol Oh and yes, there will be all the way later.


	11. Chapter 11

Thank you all for the birthday wishes! I unfortunately had to work all day, but my hubby surprised me with a little getaway! Hotel for four days woohoo! We leave tomorrow sooo... Next weeks chapter may be a day or so late. I'll try my hardest for not to be but just fair warning.

Again I'm sorry for what I had to do last chapter, but I promise it all works out in the end. There's also a surprise for everyone at the end of the chapter!

Cover art by WendyMarvellxd! Check her out on Deviant Art!

Disclaimer: As much as I wish they were mine, Mashima owns all.

* * *

Lucy only let herself cry for a few minutes before she wiped the tears from her eyes and stood up. She couldn't break down, not now, not when Gajeel needed her help. There would be time for tears, time for anger, later. She reached for a key and held it high in the air.

"Open, Gate of the Maiden, VIRGO!" She called, and with the sound of a doorbell, the fuchsia haired spirit appeared with a twirl.

"You called me princess? Is it time for punishment?" She asked innocently.

"No Virgo, I think we've had enough punishment around here." She glanced down at Gajeel.

"Oh dear, he is quite hurt, what is it you wish of me?" The spirit stood with hands in front of her as she waited for Lucy to make a request.

"I need you to carry him back to town, I can't do it and Taurus... I already asked so much of him." Lucy continued to look down at Gajeel's bloody and broken body.

"Yes princess. Leave it to me." She reached down and lifted the large male with ease.

"Be careful, please Virgo." Lucy said worriedly.

They had gone a lot further from the town than she had thought and by the time they returned, Lucy was really worried about the blood trail behind them. The innkeeper saw Gajeel and immediately panicked, she ignored his frantic cries and hovering, asking him to send a doctor. Upstairs in Gajeel's room she had Virgo lay him down on the bed and then asked her to get some water and cloths to clean up the blood. While Virgo saw to that, Lucy began removing what clothes of his she could, gently peeling it away. She was grateful that Gajeel was unconscious still, so he made no noises of protest or hurt.

When Virgo returned, she had thankfully gotten two large bowls of water, one to wet and one to rinse, as well as a stack of cloths. Lucy pulled up a chair and began to clean the wounds, hoping the doctor would arrive soon. When he did, Lucy was glad to see he was an extremely competent man. Quickly assessing the damage and commending Lucy on her cleaning, he recommended stitches for many of the open wounds.

"Please doctor, do whatever it takes. He has to get better." Lucy pleaded with him.

"Don't worry young lady," He said when finished stitching and setting the broken arm, "The wounds, while deep, have not done any irreparable damage. The only major concern is the break, since it will take much more time to heal. Overall the young man will be fine, I imagine the most difficult part will be keeping him entertained while he's confined to his bed for a week or so." He handed her some medicine and after hesitating a moment he asked. "What happened to him?"

Lucy struggled with what to say, but in the end she went with a half truth. "We were attacked, Gajeel tried to protect me and ended up getting hurt. The other young man who was with us is... He's missing now." Her voice broke on the last part, tears welling up in her eyes again.

The doctor came over and patted Lucy's shoulder. "I'm sure he'll show up, don't fret. If you need any help looking, just go down to the tavern and ask. I'm sure many there will be willing to help you."

"Thank you doctor, for everything." Lucy said quietly, but she knew she wouldn't ask for help. She wouldn't put anyone else in danger should they find Natsu before she did.

After the doctor left, Lucy sat by Gajeel's side and thought through everything that had happened. She couldn't think of anything they could have done differently, except she could have tried harder to stop the beast from attacking Gajeel. She should have run to the him, calmed him. It would have prevented this whole mess and Natsu would still be here...

Shaking herself out of the land of 'what if', Lucy finished cleaning Gajeel of any missed blood and then pulled a sheet up around him. Filling a glass with water she sat by his bed and waited for him to wake up. Her thoughts drifted to how she could find Natsu, since he likely didn't want to be found. She wouldn't give up though, not when she was positive he needed her. There were so many caves; it had taken them two weeks to find the poison cloud dragon. How many would Lucy have to search to find Natsu? Also, what had happened with the dragon? Had Natsu killed her, or was she simply injured and would heal to kill again? Lucy didn't know how many hours passed while thoughts swirled around in her head, but she finally heard a groan from the bed and Gajeel's eyes blinked open. She sat forward on her chair and put her hand on his.

"Don't try and move, you've got a lot of stitches and your arm is broken." Lucy told him.

"Where's Salamander?" Was his immediate question, Lucy hesitated before answering.

"He's gone, he regret hurting you and didn't want to do the same to anyone else so... he left." Saying the words made her well up all over again. She dashed away the errant tears which spilled onto her cheeks and tried her best to smile at Gajeel. He flipped his hand over hers and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"It's better that he's gone, Natsu isn't Natsu anymore. The beast will take control more and more until he ends up killing animals, humans, anything that comes across him. The only way this ends is with him dead." Lucy scowled and tried to pull her hand away but he gripped it tight. "I don't like it either, but one day we're going to get a job to kill a rogue slayer. Wouldn't you rather one of us did it, than someone who didn't know him?"

"No one is going to kill him Gajeel, I'm going to find a way for him to fight it. He's going to be himself again." Lucy managed to pull away from him and stood up.

"How long have you known?" He asked her suspiciously. Lucy took her time answering.

"I suspected something was wrong from the beginning, no one else seemed to notice. I knew for sure what was wrong during our trip to the capital when I found him eating an animal in the woods." Gajeel hissed out a breath and she spoke before he could. "This is the first time the beast has gone too far, at least with a human, with his friends. I've been helping him control it. The beast... likes me, he listens to me; I'm the reason you're alive right now. I know I can help them, that's why I'm going to find them."

"No, Luce I can't let you do that" He tried to get up and stop her, but winced when he moved.

"Too bad Gajeel, he's my best friend, he's my boyfriend; there's no way I'm abandoning him when he needs me most. The doctor said you're bed ridden for at least a week, there's water by the bed as well as something for you to relieve yourself in. The innkeeper will bring you up some food and something to do a few times a day. I'm going to sleep now and I'll check on you in the morning before I head out. I'm going to find him, and when I do, we'll fix this."

Lucy shut the door before he had a chance to reply and leaned her body against it with a sigh. After a moment she pushed away and went to the room next door, it took a long time but she finally fell asleep. Her dreams were filled with memories, and when she woke up her heart ached. Dressing and eating quickly, she went to check on Gajeel. He once more tried to convince her not to go looking for Natsu, that he was dangerous and would hurt her. She ignored his warnings and told him she'd be back by sundown, then left the hotel in search of her missing boyfriend.

Lucy started where he had disappeared the day before, following the path she knew he had taken. At first it was easy, a lot of broken tree branches and ripped leaves; eventually though, there was no sign of him. She moved back to where the signs stopped and began to search the caves nearby, she found a lot of dirt, but not much else. A few caves had small animals in them, thankfully none were vicious. By the end of the day she was frustrated, this was going to be more difficult than she had hoped.

Every day for the next week Lucy searched. After breakfast and checking on Gajeel she would move through the forests and into caves until the sun went down. She'd eat dinner with Gajeel, who would try and convince her to give up her search. When that didn't work he'd try to convince her how dangerous Natsu was, she knew he was getting increasingly pissed off that she wouldn't listen to reason, but she couldn't, she had to find him.

When Gajeel could finally get out of bed he insisted on coming with her. Lucy tried to refuse because he'd only slow her down, but he made so much of a racket she finally agreed just to shut him up. Most of the day was spent in silence, interspersed with mutterings from her injured guild mate about how stupid she was being. After another week she finally agreed to head back home, but only because they were low on money.

Lucy spent the days of travel pouring over the books she had brought with her, and the ones she and Natsu had picked up in the towns bookstore. They had some really good information on habits and temperaments of dragons, but so far nothing of use to the situation had jumped out.

Arriving back in Magnolia, and walking into the guild was one of the hardest things Lucy had ever had to do. The two of them stood in the doorway while silence descended over the hall. Gajeel looked over at her and then walked away without a word; eyes followed him, but no one approached the obviously foul tempered dragon slayer. Lucy slowly made her way into the room and was immediately surrounded by her closest friends.

"Is Lucy-sama alright?" Juvia asked in concern, her hand coming out to rest on Lucy's arm. "Where is Natsu-san?"

Lucy opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Tears flooded her eyes and she found herself immediately swallowed in a hug from the water mage.

"Is he dead?" The question came from Grey, who stood behind his wife.

Lucy shook her head and pulled out of Juvia's embrace. "No, he's not dead."

"Where is he then?" Grey asked, confusion in his voice.

"He's gone." Lucy said quietly. There was stunned silence for a moment before Erza found her voice.

"What do you mean he's gone? He would never abandon Fairy Tail, he would never abandon you Lucy." She said matter-of-factly.

"But he did." She looked over at Gajeel and then back at her friends. "Natsu... has changed. He's fighting for control in his own body, fighting to keep the feral part of himself in check."

"He's turning into a dragon?" Jellal asked in surprise and Lucy nodded.

"Natsu has been fighting for control for a while now and I've been helping him keep the beast in check, but it's getting harder to do. Unfortunately when we confronted the Poison cloud dragon... he lost control." Lucy struggled with her voice for a moment before she cleared her throat and spoke again. "Gajeel tried to protect me from the beast, without realizing the beast would never hurt me. Instead the beast saw him as a threat and attacked. The injuries Gajeel has are the work of Natsu in his dragon form. When he turned back into himself, he was so horrified by what he'd done that he ran. To protect us all from what he is becoming. I searched for him for two weeks, but I couldn't find any trace."

At the end of her explanation she was met with silence. Lucy knew it was a lot for them all to take in, a lot for them to come to terms with so quickly. She sat down at one of the tables and began picking at the food that was there, not really hungry but needing something to do while she waited for her friends to say something. When they did it was with mixed reactions.

"Flame-brain running from a problem? That doesn't sound like him, he should have come back here so we could all help him figure this out." Grey said first.

"I disagree, he did what he should have. Making sure the ones you care about most are safe is exactly the right move, even if that means going away for a while. He'll be back once he figures it out." Erza said with confidence.

"Lucy-sama said it's only getting worse, what if he does not figure it out?" Juvia asked worriedly.

"Then we will have to kill him." Jellal said flatly.

"Finally, someone who agrees with me." Gajeel said, limping up to the group.

"No one is killing him!" Lucy said, standing up again and throwing a piece of food onto the plate. "The beast is dangerous yes, but he's not evil! Natsu needs our support, without having to worry about someone killing him when he looses control! I thought you were his friends!"

"We are his friends," Erza said, trying to soothe her. "But if he's out of control, we can't just ignore that."

"He's not out of control! It was a mistake, an accident! He needs our help, please." she pleaded with them.

They all exchanged looks with each other before Grey spoke up. "We'll try and help him Luce, but we can't if we don't know where he is, and we can't if the beast is in control."

"I can, beast or Natsu, I can help him. I'm going to find him, with or without your help." She stormed out of the guild hall and made her way to the little house she shared with Natsu.

For a while she brooded, how could his friends be that callous? He was still Natsu, even when he was the beast. Even the beast wasn't all bad, he was just protecting her when he attacked Gajeel, he didn't understand that Gajeel was trying to do the same thing, right? She stayed holed up in the house for eight days and somewhere during that time, Happy floated in through a window. She hugged the little cat tightly and stroked his fur, tears coming again at the reminder of Natsu.

"I'll get him back Happy, I promise. For now you're stuck with just me though." She laughed as the cat meowed loudly and butted his head against her chin.

On that eighth day a knock came at the door, when Lucy opened it she was startled to see Lisanna standing there, yet happy too.

"Lisanna! What are you doing here?" Lucy asked as she moved aside to let the woman in.

"I finally got the chance to get away and come see Mira and little Aria. I've missed so much already, she's smiling now and it isn't gas." Lisanna grinned and sat down on the bed, since there were no other seats at the moment. "You should see Laxus with her, it's the most amazing thing in the world. He still treats Aria like she's made of glass, but he stares at her as if he can't believe he helped make her. It's absolutely adorable, and his expression when she poops." Lisanna laughed, "The horror on his face, especially when Mira makes him help her change the diaper."

Lucy was laughing now, trying to picture the huge, brooding man changing a poopy diaper. "Oh I wish I could see that, it's nothing to take on dragons and get bloody and bruised, but give him a wet baby and it's the end of the world."

The two of them talked about it for a few minutes more, but when they had settled into grinning at each other, Lisanna asked.

"How are you doing? Everyone says you haven't been by lately, and you were pretty upset the last time you were."

Lucy sighed, "I kind of freaked out on everyone didn't I? They were trying to help but I lost it. I don't know if Gajeel told anyone, but Natsu and I had started dating while we were away."

"We all kind of figured that one out for ourselves, but Gajeel did confirm it." Lisanna said with a nod.

"Yeah... well anyway, it just hurt to hear everyone say they'd kill him if he was out of control. I've spent time with the beast, he's not so bad once you get used to him. He's actually pretty gentle."

Lisanna hesitated before she said, "I work with dragons Lucy, I'm telling you this as both someone who knows the temperament of those dragons and as a friend. The beast is like that with you because he sees you as his bonded mate. He'll be gentle, kind, possessive and protective; if he can he'll give you anything you wish. To everyone else he's dangerous, just not to you."

Lucy took some time to absorb the news of this, it was... unexpected, and yet she couldn't deny it made her feel warm inside. "So... he attacked Gajeel because..."

"Because he was touching you, protecting you from him and he couldn't allow that." Lisanna finished for her.

"I owe Gajeel such an apology..." Lucy whispered, "This is all my fault, I should have told him about the beast before we went into the battle, I knew he would come out."

Lisanna shook her head, "This is no ones fault, not even Natsu's. We all understand why he hid the beast given the mortality rate of those who have suffered like him."

"He can't die Lisanna, do you have any idea how long it took for us to reach this point? How long it took me to find someone I can see myself with forever?" Lucy bit her lip and looked down.

"You love him, don't you?" Lisanna asked quietly.

Lucy nodded, "I do, it snuck up on me out of nowhere, but the past few days I've realized it's true. I love Natsu and I'll do anything to make sure he stays alive."

Lisanna smiled, "Then we'll make sure he stays alive. While you've been secluded up here, everyone at the guild has been combing the library for information on what he's going through. You're not alone in this Lucy, we all want to see him get better."

Lucy leaned forward and hugged Lisanna, relief flooding through her at those words. When they pulled apart, Lucy wiped a few errant tears from her cheeks and smiled. "I guess I should go back to the guild and apologize to everyone for all the yelling I did."

Lisanna grinned, "They understand, but I'm sure it would be appreciated. Not to mention we can use all the help we can get going through those books, there are A LOT of them."

The two women made their way back to the guild, when they entered it she was amazed by what she saw. Half the guild had books out and were pouring through them for information. The other half, led by Erza, had mapped out the mountains around the tiny village and with help from Gajeel they were marking all the caves. Everyone had put aside their own jobs to help Natsu, Lucy wanted to cry again.

"He means a lot to everyone Lucy, he's family. We help family." Lisanna said quietly, then moved off to join one of the tables.

Lucy just watched it all for a while before someone came up beside her and held out a book.

"I'm sorry if I upset you the other day, Erza reminded me that sometimes I can be a little callous." It was Jellal, and he was apologizing to her. Lucy shook her head.

"No, I'm sorry I yelled at you. I know everyone wants him to get better as much as I do, I just feel so helpless and hearing you say that... brought home a conversation Natsu and I had a while ago." She paused before saying quietly, "The truth is I'm scared that it's going to come to that. I don't want to loose him."

A hand came down on her shoulder, "None of us do Lucy, that's why we're searching for a way around it, just like you were." He left her with the book and went to join Erza.

Lucy made her way over to the table Lisanna had sat down at and opened the book. "I wish Levy were here, she's amazing at research. Half of what I wrote was thanks to what she found for me."

"Levy is a friend from home?" Lisanna asked, looking up.

"Yeah, my best friend." Lucy grinned, "I only had two back home. Levy and my tarot card reader."

"Oh you have one of those back home? We have one in the guild, though from what I hear she's been gone on a job for a while. Hopefully she'll be back soon." Lisanna smiled and got back to her research. Lucy followed suit and for the rest of the day, she read and made notes, just like everyone else.

By the end of the third day, the library had been exhausted and there was still no information that would help them with Natsu's condition. Lucy, along with everyone else, was extremely frustrated by the lack of information.

"It's like they don't want us to find anything." Grey said, slamming a book closed and running a hand through his hair.

"That may not be entirely inaccurate," Erza said coming up beside the table. "It's possible the magic council put a ban on books housing this information. A dragon slayer, one that can turn into a dragon, is extremely dangerous. No one would see the attack coming should one of them go rogue, and if they can control it, even worse. At least with a real, big dragon you can prepare yourself."

They all thought this over and then started discussing a trip to the capital to go to the library there. It was massive and surely one or two books would have slipped through the cracks. It had been decided that Lisanna, Grey, Juvia, Gajeel and of course, Lucy, would be heading to the capital soon, when the door flew open and a woman sauntered in.

"I'm back! Did anyone miss me?" She called.

Everyone's heads swiveled around to see who the newcomer was. No one seemed especially shocked, except for Lucy, who shot out of the booth and yelled.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

All her friends were giving her odd looks as the woman came over and hugged Lucy to her chest. "Oh you did miss me didn't you? I just couldn't stay away any longer, I had to come see how everything was going."

Erza came forward with a surprised expression her face. "You know her?"

"Of course I do!" Lucy said in exasperation, "She's the one I was telling Lisanna about. She's from back home."

Cana grinned, "I'm from here too Luce," She lifted her shirt to reveal the Fairy Tail guild mark on her stomach.

Lucy's jaw dropped open and she stared at the mark for way too long before she looked back up at Cana for some sort of explanation.

Cana shrugged, "I liked the books, so I made it a reality and joined in."

No one else had a clue as to what was going on, but Lucy felt like she was going to pass out. Cana had... brought her books life so she could be a part of them? Like Lucy had dreamed about doing since day one?

"You didn't tell me this earlier? I would have joined you here you know!" Lucy said with a bit of a pout.

"I know, but you had stories to finish. It wasn't until the last one that you really would have been happy here. I knew from the beginning it would be hard for you, Natsu was just what you wanted, just what you needed." Cana's eyes sparkled. "So Natsu is what you got. Though from what I've seen when I check in on you, everything is a little off right now isn't it?"

Lucy nodded and sighed, "Yeah it is, we're trying to find information on his condition, but there's nothing."

Cana grinned, "Don't worry, I have a solution for that too."

Just then there was the sound of a scuffle near the bar area, Gajeel appeared with a small woman's arm grasped in his big hand. She was fighting him for her arm back and yelling at him to let her go. She was thoroughly ignored however, until he stopped in front of Cana.

"I found her wandering around by the infirmary, she said she knows you." He thrust the woman at Cana and stepped back.

A glare was shot at him before she really realized who was standing in front of her, beside Cana. "Lucy? Oh my gosh Lucy!" She flung herself at Lucy and the two of them hugged.

"Levy! I can't believe you're here!" Lucy looked up at Cana who was grinning.

"I told you I had a solution."

"Yeah, but Levy?" Lucy was bewildered. "Does she even know what's going on?"

Cana shrugged, "She kept bugging me about where you were, since she knew I was the last person to see you. So I brought her here, you need her help anyway."

Lucy started laughing, she hugged Levy again and was still grinning when they separated. "I'm so glad you're here!"

"I'm so glad you're alright! You've been out of contact for longer than ever before. I was starting to get worried!" Levy was grinning back.

"Only starting?" Lucy teased.

The woman blushed but then laughed, "So... where are we? Cana didn't say"

Lucy blinked and raised a brow at Cana, "You didn't tell her?"

Cana was laughing, "I thought it'd be better if you dealt with the denials."

Lucy was grinning now as she turned back to Levy and introduced her to everyone crowded around, looking on in fascination at the exchanges.

"Levy, this is Erza Jellal, Grey, Juvia, Lisanna and Gajeel. Over at the bar is Mira and Laxus." Lucy said all their names and waited to see if it would connect, Levy was a smart woman but something like this might be a little bit much for her to put together. Even Lucy still had trouble believing it sometimes.

"That's the names of... no, no way. There's no way." Levy was wide eyed as she stared at everyone. Her mouth opened and closed and she looked from Lucy, to Cana, then back to the unbelievable sight of book characters come to life.

"Yes Levy, they're who you think they are." Lucy said, trying not to laugh.

"Just who exactly are we?" Gajeel demanded, irritated with this woman's gaping. He had found her looking around near the infirmary and thought she might be some sort of spy. When he had confronted her she had adamantly denied the accusation. She had told him she was with Cana, which he found hard to believe since the woman had been gone for months, but he had dragged Levy to the seating area of the guild hall anyway and was surprised to see the taro card reader standing there, apparently familiar with Lucy too. It was all surprising to him, most of all the strange curiosity he had about the blue haired woman.

"You're dragon slayers, right Cana?" Lucy asked her friend, watching as her publisher tried not keep herself from yelling.

"Right you are Lucy, dragon slayers of the guild Fairy Tail, based out of Magnolia." Cana confirmed.

In the end it all proved too much for Levy and she started yelling. "NO! IT'S NOT POSSIBLE. IT'S JUST NOT POSSIBLE!"

* * *

Yay! Cana and Levy have finally made it to Fairy Tail! Are you all as excited as I am?

Thank you to all who reviewed!

 **u** : I know! I'm so so sorry! It'll get better soon I promise!

 **FairyTailLover04** : Natsu sure does like to run off, but of course it's not the last we've seen of him! ;) Thank you for the birthday wishes! it was a good day!

 **FlameDragonHime** : Hahaha I don't even know how to respond to that.

 **ToastedWeirdBrain** : Thank you! I'm glad I've got you wondering about it all! Give it time, it'll all get explained! I promise!

 **Aviend** : I won't lie, it's going to be a couple chapters, but when he comes back it's going to be good :)

: How did you like what came next?

 **Dark Mystique** : No, don't cry! It all works out!

 **Guest** : Soon! I promise!

 **Slutforyatofuckinggami** : My word that name, had to double check like three times to make sure I got it right lol. Always Monday's, I know the week seems so long, but I swear for me it's short as hell lol

 **HolyChihuahua** : Hmm... maybe it is, maybe it isn't. I agree, Natsu's beast is hot lol

 **Artistofthemind** : I hope you've avoided the straight jacket for this week so you could read the next chapter, what did you think?

 **Crimsonlink310** : The stakeout is like, the best part! I know the way I ended the chapter was heartbreaking, but it needed to be done in order to get the rest of the story in line with where I want it to go. It all works out though :) I came up with the berry festival on a whim, I thought that in the midst of all their seriousness, they needed a little break. What better way than to give Natsu and Gajeel something to eat and a way to get so messy? Separate showers, dirty jokes. Bread and butter lol Hope you liked this chapter too!

 **Angel** : Did you like this one?


	12. Chapter 12

I am so sorry everyone, this chapter is way late! I was just having too much fun on my vacation to do anything lol but here it is now and I hope you enjoy it! Levy is just a little bit out of character, but still mostly the one you love.

Cover art done by the amazing WendyMarvellxd. Check her out on Deviant Art!

Disclaimer: Mashima owns it all, I am just a poor girl who owns nothing.

* * *

"No, no way. It's just not possible." Levy was still shaking her head and backed up a step, as if it would suddenly change things.

Cana and Lucy were still grinning as they watched their fact based friend try and come to terms with the impossible. The truth was, over the course of the time Lucy had spent here, she no longer saw any of them as the characters she had created, she only saw her friends. Granted, she knew a lot more about her friends than most would, but she never brought up those facts; they were her little secret. Though now it looked like she'd have to tell them the truth about who she was, and where she came from.

Gajeel was one again the first to speak, being the least patient of the group. "What the hell is she going on about? What's not possible?" He was staring at Levy while he asked the question.

"You guys," Lucy answered. "All of you shouldn't exist."

Every one of her friends looked at her like she had lost her mind, then looked over at Levy.

"Why shouldn't we exist?" Erza asked, her voice was calm, but they could tell she was having trouble comprehending what was going on.

Before Lucy could find a way to tactfully answer that question, Levy blurted out. "Because you're all characters from a book!"

Her declaration was met with silence. Lucy waited for everyone to react while Cana was grinning like an idiot and drinking from her barrel. Well, now Lucy knew where the ones in her apartment had come from. The silence stretched out for a solid two minutes before Gray broke it.

"Is your friend... okay?" He asked, tapping a finger to his temple.

Cana burst into laughter and Levy turned red. "I am not crazy." She glared at Gray, then moved to dig inside the bag she carried slung over her shoulder. She pulled out a book that held the title, 'When Ice Melts, A dragon slayer book.' Lucy's eyes went wide at the sight of it and she reached forward to snatch it out of Levy's grasp.

"You are NOT showing them this." She said in a voice laced with panic.

"Why not? It proves what I'm saying is true." Levy countered, her extremely logical brain was not even considering what it might to do those in said book once they found out it depicted every detail of one part of their lives.

The two of them started arguing about whether or not to show it to everyone, and so neither of them were prepared for Gajeel to come forward and pluck the book from Lucy's grasp. She sucked in a breath and tried to get it back, but he moved away and read the title, and then the author. Five pairs of eyes swung in her direction and Lucy could feel herself blushing to the roots of her hair.

"Please Gajeel, don't read that." Lucy pleaded with him, but the iron dragon slayer ignored her as he let the book fall open and started to read aloud.

"What's the matter with you? Ever since you joined the guild you've been following me around, declaring your love for me. Don't you get it Juvia? I don't like you." As soon as Gajeel hit Juvia's name, his speech had slowed. He looked up at the newly married couple, whose faces were slack with astonishment, their eyes fixed on the book and then, their gazes shifted back up at Lucy. She looked nervous, panicked, feeling as though she should apologize for knowing the details of their relationship, even though it wouldn't exist without her having written it in the first place.

After a long, embarrassing silence, Juvia's quiet voice filled the air. "Lucy-sama... How is it that you know what Gray-sama said to Juvia while they were alone?" She looked confused and a little hurt. Gray was holding onto his wife and alternately glaring at both Gajeel and Lucy.

Levy looked embarrassed, as if she suddenly realized what kind of impact the book would have on the people here. She had just wanted them to believe her about how they shouldn't exist, but they did, and what's she'd done had hurt them. She glanced at Lucy, her expression one of remorse; while Lucy felt the weight of her friends stares and she sighed, asking them all to sit down, motioning to the booth behind them. Once everyone was seated, she hesitantly began the explanation she had been terrified she'd one day have to give.

"You all know I'm a writer, I'm sure I've mentioned it more than a few times." Lucy gave them a half smile before continuing. "You've probably also noticed me talking about things that don't make sense, like cars or grocery stores or televisions. I've told you that they're things from where I come from, and all of you think it's somewhere else in Fiore. The truth is... I don't come from Fiore, or even Earthland. I'm from a whole other world, one in which I'm an author, both well known and popular. I wrote a fantasy/romance series called 'The Dragon Slayer Stories', depicting the lives and trials of a certain guild and specifically some of its members. It's currently at four books, with four couples and I'm working on the fifth. Truth is I was stuck on it, and so Cana, my fortune teller, brought me here; inside the world I had created, and I met you guys. All of whom I know as well as myself. The book Gajeel is holding is my fourth book, about and ice make wizard named Gray and a water mage named Juvia." Lucy finally finished speaking, not sure what else to say, how else to say it. Taking the book from Gajeel, she handed it to Juvia. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything, but being here, with all of you... It was so easy for me to forget. This is the first place, the first time in my entire life when I've felt like I truly belong. I didn't want to tell you guys and have you thinking I was crazy. The truth is... Until 8 years ago... none of you existed."

Juvia was looking through the book, reading sections of the pages she landed on. Her expression ranged from astonishment, to anger, to sadness, to embarrassment. Everyone was looking at her now as they waited for some sort of confirmation, that what Lucy said was true. The water mage finally looked up at Lucy and she asked in a sad voice.

"So Juvia and Gray-sama are not real?"

Lucy smiled at Juvia and put a hand on her shoulder, "You've always been real to me, even as words on the page. You guys have been my family since I was 6 and wrote about a flying blue cat and the little boy who raised him. I just didn't start putting anything down on paper until 8 years ago. Cana gave me a gift when she sent me here, she gave me the opportunity to meet all of you like I had always dreamed. These past few months have been the happiest of my life; even if others might say you're not real, I know you are."

There was silence again for an unbearable amount of time and Lucy was beginning to think they'd start yelling, kick her out, call her crazy; but then it was broken by the logical voice that belonged to Jellal.

"I don't think it really matters how or when we came into existence, we all have memories going back to childhood as well as family and friends. Being characters in books might be how we're seen in the world Lucy is from, but here we are all real people with pasts, and with futures. I don't feel lacking in any way by the knowledge Lucy has shared with us, do any of you?" His eyes touched on each of the people sitting at the table.

"He's right." Erza said, taking her husbands hand. "It doesn't matter, only the here and now, only the future matters, the past is in the past." The usually stoic woman stood up and reached forward to place her hands on Lucy's shoulders, and then startled her by pulling her into a bone crushing hug. "We are happy to have you with us Lucy, no matter the circumstances which brought you here."

Lucy felt her eyes well with tears as she hugged Erza in return. The acceptance she felt should have been a give in, considering this guild belonged to those who were lost, but she hadn't been sure, and the simple hug made all her worries disappear. When Erza let her go, Juvia stepped in for a hug and Lucy saw both of the women's husbands nod their acceptance.

"So who are the other books about?" Gajeel asked, he looked impassive about the whole thing, as if he couldn't care less.

Lucy turned to him and answered, "In order, Mira and Laxus, Elfman and Evergreen, Erza and Jellal, Gray and Juvia."

"You said four books so far and you're working on the fifth, who's the fifth one about?" There was curiosity in his eyes, though he was trying not to show it, as if he was wondering if she dared to try and pair him off.

"Natsu." Lucy said with a smile, "The fifth book is supposed to be about Natsu, but I was having trouble with it. I couldn't figure out who to pair him with, Cana didn't have any trouble though." She looked over at her friend, who was grinning like an idiot, her arm resting on the keg. "She knew exactly who Natsu should be with, turns out it was me."

"Wait, wait. You're not only in the world of the books, but you're dating a character?" Levy asked with surprise, her eyes wide as she tried to take in this information.

"Yes, I'm dating Natsu Dragneel." Lucy was smiling fondly now as she thought of her dragon slayer.

"You are well suited to him, just the right person to balance out his often child like personality." Erza said with a nod.

"Yeah, Flame-Brain needs someone patient enough to put up with his shit." Gray agreed, he had taken the book from his wife and was doing his own perusal of the pages.

"Well where is he then?" Levy asked, "I've actually been wondering about him ever since he started stumping Lucy in her writing since it doesn't happen often." She shook her head now and as if she couldn't contain it any longer she nearly yelled, "You're dating a book character Lucy! Are you out of your mind? What happens when you come back home? He's going to want to stay here, you know that right?"

Lucy looked at Levy and then at the rest of her friends. "You know that I love you Levy, you're the best friend I've ever had, but I don't know if I'll be going back home yet. There are things here that need to get sorted out before I make any decisions."

Levy was about to protest, but Cana interrupted her. "One of which, is why I brought you here with me." She set down the empty keg and all of them simply stared at her. How she was still sober after drinking an entire barrel of ale never ceased to amaze. "Natsu is turning into a dragon and Lucy believes there's a way for it to not end in someone killing him. Problem is, they can't find any information on the subject. Since you're so good at research and have helped Lucy with a lot of it for her books, I thought you might be able to help here."

Levy thought about it for a minute before she asked, "So you want me to help you find... what exactly?" Her gaze shifted questioningly to Lucy.

"A way to stop the change, to reverse what's already happened. To give us back the Natsu we all know and love." Lucy said in a voice that was near pleading.

"Okay so... where am I supposed to do the research? There are no computers in this world, so no google." She looked around, as if double checking. "Oh I know! The library in the capital, that would be the best place to look. It houses all the knowledge known to Earthland on every subject imaginable and is the size of a small city. I've always wondered what it would look like in person."

Lucy grinned as she watched Levy's eyes glaze over; her love of books didn't stop at the border of obsession, but crossed it and built a home there. When doing her research, Levy usually used computers for the sole reason that it was easier, and faster to get the information to one of her authors before a deadline. If given the choice, she'd much rather spend hours in a library pouring over books. Her house was essentially a library anyway and Lucy didn't know how Levy found it a comfortable place to live, but knew her friend was happy there.

"So that means you'll help us then?" Lucy asked.

Levy sighed, "I'm here, I might as well, you know I'm the best at it anyway." She grinned at Lucy. "That's why you always ask for my help."

Lucy hugged her friend and then turned to everyone who was still seated in the booth. "So we leave tomorrow then?"

Erza nodded, "We had already begun to make the arrangements, adding another person should not be too difficult. I will simply stop by the train station and let them know." She rose from her seat and without a backward glance, made her way out of the guild. Jellal stood soon after and bid them goodbye before he followed his wife.

Cana had gone over to the bar for another keg, while Gray and Juvia were engrossed in the book, their voices quiet whispers while they spoke about certain parts. Lucy felt her face flushing, knowing what some of those parts would be. Grabbing Levy's arm she pulled her towards the exit. "I'll show you where I'm living now, I share the place with Natsu and Happy."

She led Levy through the town, and grinned as the blue haired woman was absolutely engrossed in taking everything in. Lucy wondered if she had looked like that the first time she saw it all. They finally reached the little home and went inside where Lucy was greeted by a meowing Happy. He seemed to already know that she would once again be leaving him and wasn't happy about it, especially since Natsu still wasn't home. Lucy reached down and picked him up, stroking his fur.

"I know, I'm sorry. I'll try not to be gone for very long, but I'm doing this to find him you know. Didn't you enjoy being with Asuka?" Lucy scratched behind his ears, but she knew she'd lost his attention because he was staring at Levy. "That's my friend Levy, she's going to stay here tonight okay?" The cat meowed again and then flew out of her arms, landing on the bed where he started to clean himself.

The two women grinned at each other and then sat down to catch up on everything that had been going on since Lucy left. She was shocked when Levy told her she'd only been gone three weeks, apparently time passed differently between the two worlds. Lucy heard about the new reviews of her books, only one bad one so far, but that was expected. There was this one columnist who absolutely did not like her work; Lucy didn't really care though since she wrote mostly for herself. The fact that others enjoyed it too was just a bonus.

The two friends spoke well into the night and in the morning they were extremely tired. Thankfully the trip would take three days and gave them lots of time to catch up on sleep. Erza, Jellal, Gray, Juvia, Cana, Lucy and Levy all shared a few seats on the train, it wasn't overly crowded, so they could spread out a little. Gajeel of course had his own sleeper car and never joined them at any point in the trip. Lucy checked on him a couple times but the train staff had him well taken care of. Overall the trip was uneventful, with only one thing out of the ordinary. Levy had gone to use the bathroom and when she came back she was bright red with what looked like anger, but also embarrassment. When Lucy asked her about it though she refused to even acknowledge that anything was wrong so the subject was dropped.

They reached the capital in the middle of the night and made their way to an inn, the couples and Gajeel had their own rooms, but Lucy, Levy and Cana shared one. There was more talk and gossiping about back home and about the capital. Cana talked about how the last time she was here, she'd lost her cell phone somewhere. Lucy gasped and pointed an accusing finger at her.

"So it's yours! You know they have a whole exhibit dedicated to the strange black object that was found. People have been researching it for years and have never found anything." Lucy almost shouted.

Cana just laughed. "Well at least I've given them something to ogle!"

Levy joined in with Cana's laughter, completely ignoring the indignant Lucy. Eventually the talk turned to Natsu and what sort of books they'd be looking for.

"I'd say something old." Levy said thoughtfully. "This has to be a problem that stemmed from the wars so long ago right? Nothing newer is going to have the information. You also said so far you've found no hints of it even in older volumes. That tells me someone is trying to hide the solution. Don't worry though, I'm good at puzzles, we'll figure this out."

They went to bed hopeful, and in the morning they all made their way to the library. Lucy could see that Levy was in heaven even before they entered the building. Her eyes were huge, lit up from within, and she wouldn't stop smiling. After they went inside, it took about 10 minutes to get Levy to focus on the task they had come here for.

"Sorry, sorry, I know I'm getting off track, but Luce... LOOK at this place!" She motioned to everything around her, as if everyone would have the same reaction that she did.

"I know Lev, it's awesome, but we really need to get to work. So hand out those assignments I know you have, tell us what we need to find." Lucy said, bringing her back to the reason they were here.

"Right, okay. Jellal and Erza, you go into the medical section and find me the anatomy of a dragon. Juvia and Gray, go into the psychology section and find me the behavioral habits of dragons. Lucy," She grinned, "Go into the fantasy section and find me all the made up stuff about dragons you can, there's always a grain of truth to every story. Cana, go to the geographical section and find me a book or two about which types of dragons live where. I'm going to the history section, so when you get your assigned books, meet me there okay?"

Everyone started to move off to the sections Levy had asked them to go when Gajeel spoke, "What about me shrimp? You didn't give me anywhere to look."

Levy stopped and turned around to face him, she tried to look nonchalant but Lucy wasn't fooled, something had happened between the two of them. "I honestly don't care what you do. If you're set on helping, I suggest you join one of your friends." She turned after that rather rude statement and left Cana and Lucy staring after her in shock. It was completely unlike their normally quiet and kind friend to be so... antagonistic. Lucy turned to face Gajeel and said in an accusing voice.

"What did you do?"

Gajeel looked disgruntled, "I didn't do anything, I'm coming with you Cana." He turned to walk away without giving them a backward glance.

Lucy and Cana shared a look before they each shrugged and went off to do their assigned research. Lucy found her section easy enough, big signs hung from the ceiling to announce the topic of each area and there were even boards with maps on them every so often so you wouldn't get lost in the massive space. Since there were no computers with a logging system, she had to simply browse the titles and sections until she came to one row that was titled 'dragons'. She skimmed through books and found a few that might be of use to Levy, but then realized it wasn't just one row, it was about 20. It really was the largest library in all of Earthland; this was going to take longer than Lucy had thought.

After a few hours and carrying as many books as she could, Lucy went to the History section and searched for Levy. She wasn't hard to find, since she usually took over a library when she went there. There was an entire row nearly walled off with books, it looked completely unorganized, but Lucy knew better. Levy had a way of doing things and it always yielded the best results. Everyone else showed up slowly over the next hour and Levy set their books where she wanted them, then told them to go back to the inn or do whatever else they'd like; she was staying here to do her research.

Everyone split up to do their own thing, but they came together for dinner at a restaurant owned by a former council member who had left the high ranking job to pursue something he loved. During the meal Lucy and Cana were plied with questions about their world, what it was like and how it was different. Only when they were leaving for the inn did Lucy notice that Gajeel had disappeared and no one had any idea where he went.

Lucy knew that when she got back to the room, Levy wouldn't be there, she wouldn't leave the library until being kicked out at close. She returned shortly after that time and was chattering about what she had found today. Lucy was glad it interested her friend, but nothing in her research so far was what they were looking for. So for the next week they looked, giving Levy book after book to add to the growing pile she had in that one library isle. Apparently she had spoken to the head Librarian and come to some sort of agreement, because every day the piles were exactly where she had left them.

Finally, on the ninth day of their searches, Levy gave a loud cry of triumph. No one had been around her, but the place was quiet enough that her exclamation had been heard by each one of them, and they all came running.

"I found it! I found the book that's going to tell us everything we need to know!" She held out a very fragile and old book, it had to be at least 300 years old. "I'm surprised this isn't behind glass! I found it hidden behind some books on the mating habits of dragons. Look at the cover!" She moved closer to Lucy so she could look at it, the front held a picture of a man in various stages of changing into a dragon. "This has to hold the key to what you're looking for, the only problem is it's not in English. Do any of you recognize the language?"

Levy held out the book to each person there, none had any knowledge of it, until she got to Gajeel. "I know the language shrimp, it's draconian." He said, folding his arms across his chest. The blue haired woman looked less than happy that he knew what the language was, for she knew it meant she would be in close contact with the man until the book was completely translated. Still, she was pleased it wasn't a lost cause.

"Well I'm glad, we'll get to work starting tomorrow on getting this into something I can understand. If that's agreeable to you of course." Levy said, almost sounding hopeful that he would decline to work with her.

"Sure, meet me in my room after breakfast." Gajeel said without emotion, barely paying her any attention.

So for the next two weeks, the two of them spent a few hours every day together in Gajeel's room, going through the book page by page. Levy would tell Lucy every night how frustrating it was that since the book was so old, some of the words were smudged or worn away completely; it was like a puzzle to try and make sense of it all. During the day, Lucy would sometimes find Levy in the hallway, her face red; from embarrassment it seemed at times, and others it seemed like anger, and every so often she'd catch her just standing there staring into nothing. Whenever she was asked about it though, the subject was instantly changed. Lucy felt like something was going on with her friend, maybe even involving a certain Iron Dragon slayer, but neither Levy, nor Gajeel was talking.

After waiting for what seemed like an unbearable amount of time, Levy came to Lucy with a smile on her face. She held out a book which held the English translation of the volume she had been convinced held the key to their problem.

"We did it Lucy, we found it. The way to help Natsu." She handed her the book. "It's all in here."

* * *

Yay! They found it! The question is... what did they find? You'll have to wait and see!

Thank you to all those who reviewed!

 **HolyChihuahua** : I'm sorry I'm slowly killing you, please don't die before the end of this fic. I had a wonderful time away, it was so nice to relax even though I'm paying for it with no days off this week lol Thank you for the birthday wishes!

 **FlameDragonHime** : Hahaha not as much as you expected though eh?

 **Bitch Ate My Cupcake** : I hope you liked how it turned out so far, and don't worry, all those little secrets will be revealed... but not for a while lol

 **CrimsonLink310** : I imagine he is going crazy, we should find out soon how he's doing. I know exactly how Lucy's going to greet him when she finally finds him. Should be interesting hehe. Oh Gajeel is definitely in danger ;) but there was no doubt about that. You're welcome for revealing Lucy loves Natsu, but really we all knew it already :P As for Alphonse and the council... hehehe. I had a wonderful vacation and I do feel bad about it being late, but I was having such a nice time away I didn't get to it as much as I thought I might. Hope the lateness didn't detract from your love of the fic!

 **Aviend** : Sorry it's late! I hope you're still excited!

 **Rawrlikerue** : It would be so awesome to live there. I wish too!

: Oh Levy and Gajeel are the sequel. I just like the idea of overlapping stories. I had a wonderful time away! I just wish it had been longer.

 **Angel** : I hope it's still worth it! I tried really hard to capture just how everyone would react to the news. Let me know if I did a good job!


	13. Chapter 13

I am so sorry everyone that I'm posting late again! Bunch of stuff happened around here this last week including sickness and I just did not get to it like I wanted to. Anyway, here it is, and it's FINALLY Natsu POV! I hope you guys enjoy it!

Cover Art done by WendyMarvellxd! Check her out on deviant art!

Disclaimer: Mashima is a genius, he gets all credit for these characters.

Warning: Violence and gore

To the Guest account that waited patiently for the promised Natsu POV chapter, this one's for you.

* * *

"Natsu!"

He could hear her scream his name, hear the anguish in her voice, but he didn't respond, didn't turn around. He couldn't go back, not after what he'd done, not after he'd nearly killed a friend, all because of the beast raging inside himself. Natsu knew what he was doing he did to protect everyone, to protect Lucy, but it didn't make it any easier. If he ever hurt her... He couldn't even think it. In such a short time Lucy had become his whole world.

As he made his way through the forest, he thought back to the first time he had seen her. The last thing he'd expected to find after returning from a job was a woman in his bed.

 _Flashback_

"Natsu!" She had sounded surprised to see him, almost as if she knew who he was.

"Do I... Know you?" He asked. She didn't look familiar, perhaps he had done a job for her once? He did so many it was impossible to remember every person who had ever hired him. Still... he thought he would have remembered someone as pretty as the woman before him.

He could see the wheels turning in her head as she thought about how to answer that question and it was obvious when she settled on an answer, though the one she gave wasn't one he was expecting. Her logical conclusion that he wasn't a little, blue flying cat had made him laugh, but then the cat came over and nuzzled into her touch and he wondered once more if they'd ever met.

"Are you sure we've never met before?" His voice was filled with suspicion.

 _End Flashback_

Lucy had denied knowing him, but Natsu had always felt like there was something she wasn't saying. It didn't really bother him though, everyone had things in their past they didn't want anyone to know about; he sure did. She seemed a bit lost, so he had taken her to guild and introduced her to everyone. Natsu had been happy she fit in so well, it seemed like she needed a place to belong, and it somehow, impossibly, it felt like they all were connected.

Funny how she belonged more the the guild now than he did. Natsu felt uprooted now, as if he'd lost his place in this world, but he couldn't go back. Instead he walked for hours, not really sure where he wanted to go, where it would be safe to go. One of the caves in these mountains was the best bet, but he knew Lucy would be looking for him. How long would she look before giving up? She was a stubborn woman, it was one of the things he liked about her.

All he had to do was think back to the first few days she had lived with him to see that trait. Her refusal to let him go on living as he had been before had led them on a hated shopping trip, but despite the trouble given to him by each shop keeper, he had had fun. With the food she had bought at the market, the meal she cooked for him that night was better than any he had ever had made by Mira at the guild hall. He would never tell anyone that though, he didn't have a death wish.

Natsu had been so lost in thought, he hadn't been paying attention to where he was going or to the trail of broken branches and muddy footprints he had left behind. More careful now, he made sure not to break any branches and to cover his tracks, he didn't want to be found.

The beast was always quiet for a short time after coming out, this time was no exception. Natsu used the quiet to decide what to do. He wouldn't get the opportunity to think rationally very soon. He didn't want to go near a town, but he wouldn't have a choice. He had no supplies and only a few jewel on him. He'd need some form of work to keep him going, but interacting with people was beyond dangerous now. Natsu didn't trust the beast not to hurt anyone, not when he'd hurt one of his friends.

He eventually stopped to rest, wishing he had something to eat. He thought of Lucy's fish and chips, his mouth watering instantly; he could almost taste them. Natsu smiled then, thinking of the first time he had taken her fishing.

 _Flashback_

"You've never done this before have you?" Natsu asked, grinning at Lucy, who was staring at the worm he held up with a queasy look.

"No, I haven't, for this exact reason. How am I supposed to hurt the worm? How am I supposed to touch it? It's all... slimy." She made a face.

Still smiling, Natsu picked up the lure and attached the worm for her. "See? Problem solved, now take the rod, let it fall halfway behind your head, and then just flick it forward."

Lucy did as she was instructed, but couldn't quite get it right. She looked a bit defeated after trying a few times, so Natsu put his own rod down and came to stand behind her.

"Like this." He took her right hand and shifted it a bit on the pole, then using her forefinger to hold the line, he wrapped his hand around hers. Bringing the rod up, he told her to let go as he swung their arms forward. The hook hit the water and Lucy grinned, cheering at her success. Looking at him over her shoulder she said.

"Thanks! I might need you to show me again though."

Natsu didn't respond. Her smile was so bright, so genuine; it made her face light up and her eyes shine. Not for the first time he felt his chest constrict. She was so damn beautiful.

Dangerous. A voice inside himself warned, and as if to drive the point home, he felt the beast stir. Turning away from Lucy he went and brought in his own line and cast it out again. Only then did he finally turn back to her and say with a smile.

"No Problem, Luce."

 _End Flashback_

Dinner that night had been filled with excitement, Lucy was cooking the fish she had caught all by herself. It had been a big one too, at least 12 pounds. A fish like that would have gone for quite a few jewel.

Suddenly it clicked into place, Natsu could catch fish and sell it to a village or small town. He'd be able to earn jewel and pay for the things he'd need, all the while staying clear of people more than to sell and purchase items. Decision made, Natsu decided to find somewhere to spend the night. The sun was starting to go down now and he didn't want to be outside when night fell. He still didn't really know what else lurked between the trees.

There was no warning, just like every time. One minute Natsu would be alone in his own mind, the next he would be sharing it with the beast. This time the beasts anger wasn't because it was caged inside Natsu's body, it was because Natsu had left Lucy behind, the beast was not happy about that fact. The one he shared a body with never spoke, but Natsu knew exactly how the beast felt, the perk of sharing a body. He had felt the beasts anger before, but this was new, it boiled under his skin, making him hot all over. His vision sharpened as the beast started to override him. Natsu closed his eyes and breathed deeply, using the only thing that seemed to work when he tried to remain in control, to tame the beast; he thought of Lucy.

His mind floated back to the train, to the way his head felt in her lap, the safety there. The comfort of her hand running through his hair, the strength she showed when she dragged him to the bathroom. Her smell... This added memory was thanks to the beast. Natsu didn't quite understand why, but the scent of Lucy calmed the beast. He admitted it was a wonderful smell but that didn't help him make sense of the beasts reaction. In the end he didn't really care why it calmed the beast, just that it did.

Natsu's vision was returning to normal, but the beast still demanded to be let out, to be taken back to Lucy. He ignored the beast, shoved the seething hatred he felt pushing against his skin deeper inside himself. There was no way he could go back, the beast may like Lucy, but Natsu didn't trust him not to hurt her, and he definitely didn't trust him not to hurt anyone else.

Natsu eventually found a place to rest for the night, it wasn't exactly a cave, more a thick copse of trees; but there was only one way in or out and it was enough to make him feel safe falling asleep. Tomorrow he'd find a village and a stream or lake to fish from, tomorrow he would start his new life, for now though, sleep.

* * *

"Morning Nat!" A man called out, catching the attention of the pink haired man.

"Morning Hershel." He waved the fish he was carrying towards the other man. It had been a month since Natsu had run from Lucy in the forest, three weeks since he'd found this little village to sell his fish to. So far it had been great, he caught fish in the morning and brought them here to sell in the late morning market. Then he'd relax in a nearby cave until the next day. It was a bit boring with nothing much to do all day, but at least when the beast came out, he was well away from people. It worried Natsu how much more the beast was coming out, it was a daily thing now, but he couldn't stop the change.

"Looks like you caught some good stuff this time." Hershel walked over to where Natsu was working and inspected the fish he had.

"Yep, I found this great little stream for them, can't tell you where it is though." Natsu laughed.

The man grinned in return, letting out a little chuckle, "Wouldn't matter if you did, the people of this town love fish, but we just aren't that good at catching them."

Natsu held up another fish, "Why do you think I stop by here every day?"

Hershel nodded, "So you should, we're all happier for you stopping by. Young man like you making it on his own in this world, hard to do, especially with all those dragons flying around. Harder still with no magic! You do just fine though, but I can't help thinking that you need someone to help you out. A woman maybe, one to help you carry your catch and cook it up real nice. Now I have a daughter..."

Natsu cut him off before he could finish, "I know you mean well, but I'm not looking for a woman to settle down with. It's just not me."

Natsu could feel the beast going crazy inside him, the rushing sound he could hear in his ears because he was talking to the man rather than killing him intensified to a roar as it struggled to get out. He could feel the beasts indignation that the man dare suggest another female to him, someone that was not Lucy. Natsu was struggling for control when the man continued.

"Ah you say that, but my Lerna..."

"Sorry Hershel, I'm not interested. Look I gotta finish setting up, be sure to buy some okay?" Natsu turned away from Hershel and gripped the fish he was holding so tightly, that both the blood and the insides of the fish turned to mush in his hand, oozing over his fingers. Natsu was so focused on fighting back the beast that he didn't notice what he had done, it was demanding freedom, demanding Hershel's head for the slight given to him. Natsu could feel his vision sharpening, feel the growl start in his throat. His head began to prickle and he knew that soon the horns of the beast would come through. Natsu had to get out of here, had to get away from the village before he turned and the beast killed someone.

In his rush to flee, Natsu knocked over the whole table that held this mornings catch, they went sliding off the table and all over the ground. He rushed past shocked shoppers, his head down, ignoring all the concerned shouts of the villagers he had sworn not to get close to.

Natsu managed to get free of the village and a short distance into the forest before the beast gained complete control, bursting forth in a roar of rage. Natsu was no longer in control, now he was the one inside his own body, watching as the beast looked around for something to kill. He could only hope that when the beast found what he was looking for, it wasn't a human.

Whenever the beast came forth, Natsu tried his hardest to sway the him into staying away from people, to only hunt animals. At first he was even able to keep him to small creatures, but the beast was stronger now and Natsu had less say in what went on. Much like when the beast exerted himself, Natsu didn't have much energy while in the background, his control over the beast was expended in a burst, and then he was powerless. It took time to gain that back, and if spent on the wrong thing, Natsu would have no choice but to watch as the beast did something he regretted, like how he had hurt Gajeel.

The only reason the beast had stopped attacking the iron dragon slayer was because of Lucy, she had a power over the beast and he listened to her. When she jumped on his back, it was like someone pressed a giant button to stop him. Natsu had been screaming for him to not hurt Gajeel, but his energy had been wasted during the fight with the dragon. The cloud of poison had been overwhelming as they fought, so thick he could barely see his opponent; thankfully his hearing was sharp and prevented him from getting seriously hurt. Natsu remembered what the cloud had done to his friends, and so used his limited will to get out of there. Natsu was still surprised he was alive, they had been in that poison for long enough to kill him, but somehow he was completely fine. Was the beast responsible for that? Was he immune because of him? If so, that was one point in favour of the beast.

Natsu watched through his own eyes as the beast hunted, his nose lifted into the air as he pulled in great breaths of air. Rabbit, Deerling, Vulcan, Hodras, the beast took in the scent of the Hodras and started to stalk his prey. Natsu relaxed a bit, thankful there hadn't been any humans in the area, though he didn't let his guard down, he knew how quickly the beast could change direction. The last time it had happened he'd nearly hurt Lucy, Natsu still felt his heart constrict at the thought.

 _Flashback_

Natsu shouldn't have done that, teased Lucy about asking her out when he had no intention of doing so. She had just frustrated him so much by assuming he'd want to be with Lisanna, it just sort of came out. He still felt the day's irritation inside himself, knowing now what she was trying to do made it even worse. Natsu had thought Lucy didn't like Lisanna, was trying everything to avoid her, he never even dreamed she had been matchmaking.

Natsu once again went over the events of the day with this knowledge and shook his head, it was completely obvious now that he knew. He should have seen it, but he'd been a bit distracted by the beast inside him, who had been demanding to come out ever since that... Alphonse guy had made an appearance at the memorial. There was something off about him, Natsu just couldn't place what; there was magic around the man, but what kind he couldn't tell. It didn't sit well with him, and then on top of that, he was flirting with Lucy. Seeing him once was bad enough, but twice in the same day? Natsu had nearly attacked the man, and not all of it was the beast. His interest in Lucy had bothered Natsu quite a bit, but what could he do about it? The guy hadn't done anything to warrant the kind of aggression he was feeling, so he just settled for glaring.

Thinking about it now had the beast demanding exit once more, and since Natsu was still annoyed with Lucy for her assumptions and meddling, he knew there was no way he'd be able to hold back and stop the change. He could however, get outside before it came, a low growl issued from his throat and he exited his room, making his way towards the forest at the far end of the dragon's exercise area. The whole time he moved, the changes came over him; sharpened vision, horns sprouting, fangs descending; its wings didn't break free until it was in the woods. Immediately there was a rustling coming from the right and it lunged at the sound. Thankfully it had been a deerling and not a human out for a night walk.

The beast bit into the deerlings neck, relishing the cries of death as blood spurting into its mouth and down its throat, so warm, so satisfying. As soon as the creature was dead it let the carcas fall to the ground and began to attack it's center mass, where all the meat was. Its fangs sank into the fur and tore away flesh, barely chewing before it swallowed. Sharp nails pulled off hunks of meat and it bit into them, almost euphoric with the taste of its kill.

A sound behind the beast made it whip around, red, glowing eyes taking in the sight of a woman. _Human,_ was all the beast knew as he lunged for her. Lucy had tried to run, but didn't make it far before it yanked on her hair and pulled her back, spinning her so its hand could crush her throat. She smelled wonderful, delicious, the beast growled and leaned in to get a better whiff of the fragrance before it ended her life. It was then that she touched the beast, it was then that she said the humans name. Natsu had been dormant inside the beast until then, but he came back full force as he heard that quiet plea.

 _NO!_ Natsu fought the beast for control, he wouldn't let it hurt Lucy! The beasts hold on Lucy had lessened, she spoke again and he fought for control against the beast. It didn't want to relinquish the hold it had, the desire to kill was no longer there, but the desire to explore this woman, and why she touched him despite the fear it could feel radiating from her was overpowering.

"I think it's time you tell me what's going on with you." She had said gently once he had changed back.

 _End Flashback_

Despite what he had just done to her, Lucy was still kind to him. She couldn't know how much that meant to him, that she hadn't cast him aside in that moment. Even after explaining everything, Lucy had somehow, impossibly, not condemned him for it. That was the moment he knew he was falling for her, and when the beast began to show an interest in her as something other than food. It was the only thing the two of them agreed on, that Lucy was important.

The Hodras was close now, the smell overpowering, a rustle to the left and a snort. The beast lunged for the animal and there was a squeal as fangs met flesh. The beast wasn't feeling compassionate today, the anger that had seethed inside Natsu was now in the open. The beast kept the animal alive as it slowly tore at the Hodras' body. Its cries of pain rang through the air, until the beast mangled its throat. Natsu could only watch in disgust as blood covered his body, as the life left the eyes of the beasts prey. While the beast got down to eating and... playing with its food, Natsu tried to think of something else, tried to leave behind the horrible things the beast was doing.

All he could think about was Lucy, where she was, what she was doing. Would she be worried about him? Or had she just given up hope of finding him, of helping him when he disappeared? That thought was immediately pushed aside, if he knew one thing about Lucy, it was that she never abandoned anyone she promised to help. As much as Natsu wished she would forget about him, knowing it was the only way to keep her safe, he was glad she wouldn't stop looking. It was his job to make sure she never found him.

Lucy was too kind, too compassionate, too... good for him. Natsu should have stuck to what he told her, that they couldn't be together. He should have kept the distance between them even though he saw it breaking her heart, even though the beast raged at not being able to touch Lucy anymore. In the end he had given in to the beasts desire, and his own. Being able to hold her during sleep, to play with her hair and take her hand and to kiss her had been the happiest and most carefree he'd ever felt. The beast had been happy too, demanding to get out, but only so he could stroke and touch her as well. A couple times when he woke up, the beast had already taken over and watching it... touch Lucy had only made Natsu's need to be with her grow, but he always held back. What if he was too rough when they joined together, what if he hurt her?

There were so many what if's to the entire relationship that he didn't know what to do or say, always wondering if he was doing something wrong. They never got the chance to figure things out, the attack on the dragon, and then his attack on Gajeel had come shortly after they'd put a name on what they were. Now Natsu was away from Lucy, and missing her so damn much. Every day was a struggle for him not to just say fuck it, and head back to the guild, but doing so would just put everyone else in danger; not to mention himself. Who was to say that the second he walked through the guild doors, they didn't just kill him? They had a right to, because soon he wouldn't be able to change back, soon the beast would always be the one in control.

The beast had finally finished eating, and was once more walking through the forest, looking for a place to lay down and digest its meal. Natsu felt sick, his stomach was distended, his clothes and skin were covered in blood and gore; but the beast didn't care about that, it only cared about a nap. A cave was found shortly after, with a pile of moss already to one side of it. Natsu tried to warn the beast that it was very likely the cave was already occupied, but he was ignored, instead the body they shared was dropped down to the moss and eyes were closed. Natsu was thankful that a meal, although violent as it was, and a nap, was the only thing that happened after the change this time; and that after the nap, he would be himself again. A bath was in order as soon as he woke up, and then back to the village to see if any of his fish were still there. Natsu knew it was likely most of his fish were gone, but he had to go check and see. Right now though... a nap sounded good, he felt his eyes grow heavy and he was plunged into darkness. Then everything stopped as he slept.

* * *

"Hello? Hey are you alright?" A voice broke through Natsu's sleep and he opened his eyes to find a man standing in front of him.

"What?" Natsu asked groggily, sitting up on the bed of moss.

"You're covered in blood, are you alright? Did something happen?" The man asked again, hunching down beside Natsu and searching for any sign of injury.

"Oh, no I'm fine. I was... hunting and the animal put up a bit more of fight than I was expecting. Guess I was pretty exhausted afterwards, I hadn't meant to fall asleep." The man didn't look familiar to Natsu, he wasn't from the nearby village, a traveler maybe?

"Well that's good to hear, you should go get cleaned up though before you start attracting some live animals. I already heard a few Gorabears calling out to each other, wouldn't want you ending up what they hunt." A hand was extended to help Natsu up and then he was handed an animal skin filled with water.

Natsu accepted gratefully and after a drink he said, "I'm Nat."

"Marek, nice to meet you. So do you know where a creek is or should I show you to one?" He asked, once more looking over Natsu's bloody clothing.

"I know where one is, thank you though. I should be getting to it so I can clean up, see you around." Natsu waved to Marek as he exited the cave, but the man followed.

"Are you from that little village a ways through the forest? I've never seen you there when I pass through." He seemed to want a conversation, Natsu didn't really want the company but figured the man was lonely and would leave him alone after he chatted a bit.

"I sell fish there, that's about it. I don't really have a home at the moment." Natsu was about to run his hand through his hair, but seeing all the blood stopped him, he grimaced and dropped his arms back to his side.

"So you're a traveler like me then, nice isn't it? Seeing all of Fiore." Marek stuck his hands in his pockets and looked all around at the forest with a grin on his face.

"Yeah, sure." Natsu nodded noncommittally.

They reached the creek and Natsu all but ignored Marek, wading into the water and scrubbing at his skin and clothes; the water flowing downstream was red as he did so. Marek stood on the bank, waiting for what, Natsu didn't know. At least he didn't until the water began to run clean around him again, that was when he felt the press of a knife to his throat.

"Now that you're clean, what say you hand over whatever jewel you have on your person. Might not be a whole lot, I figure you have most of your stash elsewhere, but enough to get by for a while. Fish seller like you must make a fortune off those suckers in the village." Natsu and Marek were the same height, but Marek was bigger, and so probably thought he had the advantage.

Natsu had planned to use his fire magic to get rid of the thief, but the beast suddenly jumped forward, demanding to be let out again after only a couple hours. Damn... it was really getting strong now, Natsu was fighting for control already.

"Look, buddy, I'll give you what I have, but then you've got to run okay? I can't promise you'll be safe much longer."

Marek laughed and Natsu could feel the blade bite into his skin, a thin trickle of blood falling down his throat. He couldn't stop the beast from letting loose a snarl from their shared throat, too bad Marek was still laughing and hadn't heard it.

"You think I'm afraid of you? A puny little fisherman who couldn't even kill an animal without it fighting back? You're out of your mind; I'll take the jewel, and then maybe I'll take your clothes too, round out the humiliation.

"Seriously, you need to go." Natsu handed him the small bag of jewel he had and then lifted his hands in the air, he could already see the scales starting to form. The knife was removed from his throat as a growl ripped from his throat once more and he knew his eyes were going red again. "LEAVE!" Natsu snarled.

Marek looked up from the bag of jewel and his eyes rounded when he saw the change that was coming over Natsu. "What... what the hell is wrong with you?"

"I can't hold it back much longer, you need to run! NOW!" Fangs filled his mouth and the thief looked at the top of his head where horns had sprouted. Natsu's voice changed, deeper, more gravelly. "Too late."

Marek dropped the bag he held and turned to run, Natsu tried with all his might to stop the beast from giving chase but it only worked for a minute. One minute, that was all the hold Natsu had over the beast now, and as he watched the distance between the thief and the beast close, he knew without a doubt... the beast had won.

There would be no going back this time, Natsu held no sway over the beast any longer. The day had finally come when he was more beast than man, and all he could do, was watch.

* * *

So there it is! A Natsu pov chapter, next one goes back to Lucy and the rest of the gang. I hope you enjoyed it!

PS: I was hoping that by some chance, some of my readers are artists. I would love some artwork of this story if you feel so inclined! Just send me a pm and I'll give you my email! (One I created just for this, I'm hopeful:P)

Thank you to all who reviewed!

 **CrimsonLink310** : Thanks! We had tons of fun! It was just around the corner that we stayed, but we never really do any of the attractions there because we're locals, so doing them again after so many years was a blast. I promise we'll find out what happened between Levy and Gajeel on the train, as well as when they were working together, but you're right, that's for the sequel. :) Your estimate is about right for how long Natsu has been gone, I think it was needed so that a few things could happen, such as you saw in this chapter. I made the difference in time happen so it wouldn't be the however many months she's actually been gone, I feel like cops would have been involved by then in Lucy's world and Cana might have even been arrested since she was the last one to see Lucy lol So... time flow difference! Chicka chick ow! (LOVE that part of the movie) I hope the solution doesn't disappoint people, it's fairly simplistic, but I thought it was fitting. We'll see how it goes. Until next time!

 **Dark Mystique** : Because I love cliffhangers, they are everything to me. It's what keeps you coming back for more every week ;)

 **Caslspirit15** : I had a blast on my mini vacation. We did a ton of stuff that people come from all over the world to do, but since we're local we never really do. We just get annoyed at the traffic lol I'm glad you love the Gajevy, they're actually my second favourite couple. Don't worry, NaLu will be back in play soon enough!

 **Gaia Kame** : Thank you so much for the explanation! I'm still wracking my brain to think of what anime I watched with the phrase in it though. I'm really glad you're liking the story and I hope you enjoyed the Natsu pov!

 **Aviend** : I love having Levy there too! I just hope people aren't too upset I've made her a little more... brash than in the anime. I wonder what your theory is, hmmm... Mind sharing?

 **Bitch Ate My Cupcake** : I'm sorry your fix was late again! So much happened this week! I hope you enjoyed a Natsu pov chapter! Levy and Gajeel will have their own tale soon enough, I promise!

 **MaidenAlice** : Teehee, one more week!

 **HolyChihuahua** : Thank you for the wishes but it's come and gone and I have no idea when the next one will be lol. I'm glad you liked the last chapter and hope you liked this one too!

 **UserM24** : You posted this review as I was doing the final editing on the chapter! Again I'm sorry it's late, this week was crazy. Gajevy will be my next fic! I hope you like that one as much as you like this one already, I'm still working out the details for it, but I've got it mostly locked in. I'm extremely pleased that you like my fic, especially since you don't normally like AU. The Gajevy one will contain both worlds so I hope you're not too disappointed with the AU in that one, or that Levy is a bit different than in the manga and the anime. I can't tell you how much it means to be that you find this story flows well and is a comfort to read. I know exactly what you mean by that and it's exactly what I was hoping for when I started writing. I try so hard to be grammatically correct, it really really bothers me when writers aren't, but it's inevitable that during my editing I miss something. Ah well. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review again!


	14. Chapter 14

Yay I'm on time this week! Illness still runs rampant through my house, what IS this monstrosity?! Anyway lol Here's the next chapter! Also just wanted to let everyone know that after this chapter there are only 3 left! Can you believe it? I'm kind of sad to see it end! However... there will be a Gajevy fic very soon after ;). Never fear, I will always write more!

Cover art by the wonderful WendyMarvellxd, check her out on Deviant art!

Disclaimer: Fairy Tail is the creation of Hiro Mashima, Lilith Mey has no claim to any of his characters and that makes her very sad. (hehe)

* * *

"You found it?" Lucy got up out of the booth and took the book from Levy's hands.

"It wasn't easy, the book was so old we had to guess some of the words until it made sense when translated. A few pages were also missing but we got a lot of good information." Levy watched Lucy leaf through the pages, knowing how much this meant to her friend.

"Tell me everything, I need to know so I can help Natsu when we find him." Lucy looked up from the book to the blue haired woman.

Levy gently tugged the book out of Lucy's hands and sat down, Lucy followed her lead, eager to hear how she could help Natsu. "We'll start with the why part. When we were talking about Natsu that night, you said Igneel had told him something very important, but he couldn't remember what that was; I think I figured it out. See, one of the authors of this book... was Igneel, which means that Natsu had a better chance than anyone else to ward off the beast from the start. If he had remembered, Natsu might be here right now. The book tells us that the more powerful the slayer, the more likely it is that the part of their dragon teacher that resides inside them will begin to take over." Levy grinned then, "Gajeel grumbled for about a day when we translated that, something about how there was no way Salamander was stronger than he was."

Lucy's face was pensive as she listened to Levy explain, but she couldn't help but laugh. "That sounds like him, next thing you know, he'll be challenging Natsu to a battle when we find him. So Natsu is really powerful huh?" She sounded proud.

Levy nodded, still smiling. She was glad to see her friend laugh, but needed to explain the rest of it. "So that's the why, and this is how to help him." She flipped to another section of the book and skimmed it before she spoke. "The way to make the transition from slayer, to slayer harboring a beast inside him is a bit simple, but also difficult. It requires two things, the first is an acceptance of what's happening, of having the beast share a body with him and not denying it's existence. The beast must be let out, even in small bursts, so a trust is found between it and the host slayer. The longer the beast is denied, the stronger it becomes and the weaker the slayer ends up, which is of course bad for Natsu; but the situation isn't hopeless. The second thing required is someone the beast trusts, someone the beast will listen to unconditionally, someone the slayer also trusts enough to control the beast while it's out." Levy smiled again. "Gajeel tells me that Natsu has that with you, so the real problem is the first part of this. If Natsu can accomplish this, the beast is a valuable asset. The two of them become... partners, helping each other when needed, a valuable addition to the guild. The beast makes Natsu stronger, faster, more resilient to injury with more stamina than a regular human could ever have. He'll be known as the big guns. However, if this harmony can't be reached... the beast will slowly consume everything about the slayer until there's nothing left. Kindness would be shown to no one but the one it trusts and the only option becomes killing both slayer and beast, and that is the last thing any of us wants to happen."

Levy was finished then, and she settled back in the booth while she waited for Lucy to respond. The silence stretched out for a long time as Lucy thought over everything, every possible scenario and outcome. When she finally spoke, it was to summarize everything Levy had said.

"So, if Natsu accepts the beast, gives it freedom, and trusts me to control it, he will be okay?" Lucy looked at her friend for confirmation.

Levy nodded, "Yes, that's right."

"Okay, that sounds doable." Lucy rose from her seat and smiled. "I'm going back to the mountains, to find Natsu. Want to come?"

Levy wasn't really sure she wanted to go anywhere but back home, but she knew her friend needed her. So she stood up too and grinned. "Of course I do."

* * *

The two of them left the following morning to go back to the village where Natsu had last been seen, but unfortunately, they dragged along an unwanted addition to their group.

"I still can't believe you and the shrimp were going to try and find Salamander on your own." Gajeel admonished for the hundredth time since he had come by the house last night, though Lucy never found out the real reason he had come. Gajeel had been too busy yelling about how stupid they were. "You have no idea what kind of condition you're going to find him in. For all you know, he's already let the beast take control. He could be as bad as that poison dragon, killing towns off."

Before Lucy could react to that statement, Levy did. She got up in his face, her finger prodding into his chest. "Why would you say something like that? can't you see she's already worried sick over the idea? You didn't have to actually voice it!"

Lucy smiled at her champion and laid a hand on her friends arm. "Relax Lev, he didn't mean it to be hurtful, he was just trying to prepare me for the worst."

Gajeel was standing there now with a scowl on his face, arms crossed over his chest. "You seem to have a low opinion of me shrimp, what the hell did I do to deserve it?"

"Oh, well lets see, should we start with the way you dragged me into the guild hall because you thought I was a spy, or how about the train?" Levy was mimicking his stance now.

Lucy was surprised to see a blush spread over Gajeel's cheeks. "I already apologized for that, holding a grudge is just petty."

Levy deflated a bit and sighed. "You did, I'm sorry, I'm just... worried." She looked uncomfortable now.

"We all are." Gajeel said.

Lucy was a bit dumbfounded by the whole exchange, it was like someone else had invaded the bodies of her two friends. Levy was usually so sweet tempered and quiet, bookish even, while Gajeel was usually gruff and unapologetic. Yet both of them were acting exactly the opposite of normal. She suddenly wondered what had happened on the last train ride together, and if just maybe... they liked each other. Lucy's matchmaking side came front and center and she hoped it would go better than last time. Five days by train...

Lucy's head was spinning as they headed back to Gajeel's private sleeper car. She left the two of them together briefly after dropping off her luggage and went to find the conductor. Arrangements made, she was back to their home for the next few days. As she took in the scene around her, Lucy realized that Levy was flushing and Gajeel was looking a little smug. She had no idea what had just happened, but it looked like maybe she wouldn't have to try so hard to match make after all.

Lucy chose to ignore whatever it was that happened as she turned to Levy and said, "Last time we took a train you probably saw what happens to Gajeel whenever he's on something that moves. He gets extreme motion sickness and can't move for the duration of the trip, that's why he gets the sleeper car. For this entire ride, as well as the three days by wagon, he's going to be completely useless and we have to take care of him. Two men will be along to help him use the facilities, but we have to feed him.

Gajeel straightened away from the window he was leaning against and came forward, ready to protest Lucy was sure, that someone also did that for him, but she cut him off as he started to speak.

"We'll take turns of course, it wouldn't be fair that one of us always has to do it. I'll even go first." Lucy smiled over at Gajeel, who was frowning at her, then at Levy, who also looked less than pleased. Had she read the signals wrong? Oh well, too late now, she'd already cancelled the lady who spoon fed Gajeel on trips.

Gajeel wasn't given time to protest as the whistle sounded and the train began to move. There was just enough time for him to flop onto the bed before he groaned and his face turned green.

Levy was holding back a grin when she said, "Boy, you weren't kidding about him being useless."

"Natsu has it too, it's apparently a dragon slayer thing, though who knows why. Last time we came up here I thought I was going to have to take care of them both. Thankfully Gajeel is a smart man and had it all taken care of." Lucy said, going over to where the impaired man lay and asking if he needed anything.

The iron dragon slayer shook his head and then basically ignored them while he tried to concentrate on not loosing the small breakfast he'd had.

The next five days passed much the same, Levy and Lucy would talk about their world, and Lucy would tell her about this one. They'd sometimes read in silence for hours, Lucy often reading and rereading the translated book; they always remembered to check on Gajeel however, as he just laid there. As much as she could, Lucy disappeared right around meal times so that Levy was forced to feed the incapacitated dragon slayer. Levy called her on it after three days, but Lucy denied it all. There were no major protests coming from the blue haired woman however, so Lucy knew she didn't mind too much.

The journey passed quickly and they arrived in the village by mid afternoon. They were greeted warmly by the innkeeper who immediately recognized them. The man was glad to see that Gajeel was healing nicely and equally delighted to meet Levy. He was, however, sad to hear that Natsu was still missing.

"We came back to try and find him again. You haven't heard anything about him have you?" Lucy asked, hope in her voice.

The innkeeper shook his head, "No, I am sorry but I've heard nothing about your friend. Truth be told, we've all been a bit distracted because of something that happened a couple weeks ago. One morning we woke up to a... green fog blanketing the town. We didn't know what to make of it, still don't. It was so thick we couldn't seem to see more than a foot ahead of us. The strangest part was, a few people from both the town and the guests here at the inn, just dropped dead within a few minutes of being in the fog. Six deaths in total, strangest thing I've ever seen..." The innkeeper looked lost in thought now as Gajeel and Lucy shared a look.

The dragon was alive, and it had tracked them to the village. The biggest question however, was how almost everyone in this place survived, when three other towns had not. They had done nothing to ward themselves from the poison cloud, yet only six were dead.

"We need to contact the guild, there's something up here that causes an immunity to the poison dragon cloud. Porlyusica needs to know what that is and we need to find it for her." Gajeel said, the guilds stand by physician had been called in when it seemed that the injuries done to Elfman and Evergreen weren't going to be fixed with normal medicine. "I'm going to find a lacrima." He disappeared out the front door of the inn, leaving Levy and Lucy to rent their rooms and take the luggage upstairs.

He returned over an hour later with news. "Porlyusica is sending Wendy up to investigate, with her healing magic she has a better chance of figuring this out than anyone else. Until she gets here, we'll continue with our original plans to find Salamander."

They spent the rest of the night planning where and how they would search before eating and getting a good nights rest.

In the morning, Lucy and Levy hugged goodbye while Gajeel told Lucy to hurry up or she'd miss the coach. While Levy and Gajeel searched nearby, Lucy would go to other towns and villages close to this one and ask about Natsu. Given that none in this town had heard anything about him, it was likely that he was no longer so close by. If Lucy found anything, she was going to send word to Gajeel and Levy, so they could come with her.

As Gajeel put it, "You are in no way to approach Salamander if you find him, there is no telling his state of mind. You better listen to me bunny girl, I won't have your death on my conscience."

Lucy had rolled her eyes, but agreed. They all knew neither Natsu nor the beast would ever hurt her, but it was nice to know the gruff dragon slayer cared. She really hoped that Natsu was still doing well, that the beast hadn't taken over, hadn't hurt anyone. She thought about what she would do if that wasn't the case, but shook her head, knowing she'd still try to help him, that she'd still love him. Lucy would never stop trying to save the man who had become the most important thing to her in both this world and the one she was born into.

The week she spent in search of any information regarding Natsu was exhausting and seemingly pointless. That is until she got to a town that was surrounded by rivers, it was there that Lucy received her first clue.

"I don't know anyone named Natsu, but we did have a pink haired man named Nat selling us fish for a while. Come to think of it, if it's the same one you're talking about, his name might be Natsu, Nat is a short form of that after all. Anyway, he left in a rush one day, didn't even take his catch with him. No one in town has seen him since that day. I know he was staying in one of the caves in the forest though, if he's still around and is indeed the man you're looking for, that's the best place to start looking."

Lucy thanked the man named Hershel and hurried to write out a note for the wagon driver to take back to Levy and Gajeel. It would only take a day and a half for it to reach them, so she had about three, maybe four days to wait before she could go search for Natsu. Lucy only hoped she had the patience to wait that long, he might be so close by and she'd never know.

* * *

The wait seemed endless, and when they finally arrived at the inn, Lucy was nearly tearing her hair out.

"Finally! I was beginning to think you guys would never get here. I've got a map of the area and marked the most likely places for him to be, if we leave now we should be able to check out at least three before dark."

Gajeel held up a hand, "Slow down bunny girl, we just got here and it was an exhausting trip; Natsu can wait until morning. I know you're anxious to get going, but I'm in no condition to protect either of you right now." Even as he spoke, Lucy acknowledged he looked a little green.

Still, she huffed and was about to say she didn't need his protection when she looked over at Levy and realized that her friend, would. Natsu, let alone the beast, had never met the woman, and that could end up being dangerous. So with a deflating sigh, Lucy nodded. "Okay, we go in the morning."

Lucy was ready to go before either of her friends were even up the following morning. Natsu was close by, she just knew it, and she wanted to see him, to make sure he was alright. It had been nearly two months and she missed him like crazy.

After a quick breakfast, the three of them headed out into the woods. Given that Hershel told Lucy Natsu had been fishing to keep himself fed, she thought it best to check those caves first. Gajeel agreed with her and they set out for the small cluster surrounding the water. The first two caves held nothing, but the third showed definite signs of something living there. A bed of leaves and grass sat against one wall, along with a bowl full of water. Those seemed normal enough,nothing to be concerned about, but what else was in the cave definitely was. Bones littered the floor, ranging in size from as small as a rabbit, to as large as a deerling and Hodras. Thankfully, none of the bones were human.

Lucy looked over at Gajeel, who's face was held in grim lines. She could tell his thoughts had gone in the same direction as Lucy's; this was where Natsu had been staying, and it looked like the beast had taken over. The only comfort was once again, the lack of a human skeleton.

Natsu wasn't there at the moment, so the three of them took the time to look around, to assess just how far gone Natsu might be, but before they got very far, a growling started from the entrance and Gajeel's voice sounded quietly from the shadowed part of the cave.

"Lucy, move away from the opening, come back towards my voice. We have no idea what's coming."

She did as he instructed, but only because they growling could have been anything, maybe it was Natsu, or maybe it was a Gorabear. Had she known for sure that it was Natsu coming inside, she would have ignored Gajeel and stayed put. However the growling was starting to get louder as whatever was at the mouth of the cave began to enter. Lucy backed away quickly, but she was too close to it.

She was suddenly tackled, pushed flat on her back with both arms pinned to the ground above her head, the lower half of her body pressed down by something heavy. She closed her eyes and screamed out as she expected to feel pain, but none came. Lucy was alarmed to feel something near her throat, it felt like... a face? The growling had stopped, and she heard a breath being drawn in instead. The next thing she heard could only be called a purr.

Lucy's eyes snapped open and she stared into the eyes of the beast. Glowing red orbs taking her in as she broke out into a smile. The beast leaned its head against hers and kept up the purring sound. "I found you." She whispered.

The beast moved its head down to nuzzle Lucy as his hold on her wrists loosened, its fingers gently soothing away the pressure marks. It breathed in deeply once more and a sound of satisfaction left its lips.

A noise came from the back of the cave and the beast had Lucy behind him in a protective gesture so fast she felt dizzy. It was growling again but this time it was more of a snarl. Lucy moved forward and took the beasts hand, "It's okay, it's just my friends, your friends. They're here to help you, just like I am alright? Do not hurt them." Lucy said firmly, taking the advice of the translated book she had read countless times over the last two weeks. The beast would listen to the trusted one, and that was Lucy. It growled as Gajeel and Levy came out of the shadowed part of the cave, but he made no move towards them.

"Why don't you guys wait outside? We'll be out shortly." Lucy suggested, her eyes never leaving the face of the man she loved.

"No way Luce, Natsu would kill me if anything happened to you." Gajeel protested, but he was cut off by the snapping of the beasts jaw.

"Just go!" Lucy said harshly, "I'm safer here than either of you, we'll be out soon!"

Gajeel muttered the whole way out of the cave, while Levy said nothing, but she looked terrified. Once the two of them were gone, the beasts full attention centered back on Lucy. Its face changed to one of affection, and it stepped forward and pulled her into its arms, nuzzling her neck again. Lucy wrapped her arms around its neck and they held each other.

"I was so worried for the two of you. Natsu is alright too isn't he?" Lucy pulled back to ask.

The beast grumbled, but nodded, which caused Lucy to smile. "Good, and as much as I enjoy seeing you, I'm going to need to talk to him okay?"

The beast snarled a bit and shook its head. Lucy frowned at it and was pleased to see the beast looked slightly uncomfortable under her stare, but she sighed and relented for the moment. "Fine, you can stay for a little while longer, but then I want Natsu back alright?"

The beast scowled, but nodded and took her into its arms again. It tilted her head up to look at him and then leaned down to press its lips to her own. She did nothing to protest the kiss, allowing its mouth to explore her own, and even let its hands to wander her body, but she stopped it before things went any further.

"While I'm sure one day you and I will be together like you want, it won't be right now. The first time belongs to Natsu okay?" She kissed its chin and stroked over its chest.

The beast growled but he let her go, there was no way it would force her to do anything she didn't want to do.

"Could I have Natsu back now, please?" She asked calmly, but it was clear that it wasn't a request.

There was an audible sigh before it kissed her once more and stepped back. The red light in his eyes faded to topaz, then wings, scales, fangs and horns all receded as Natsu began to come to life before her. When he was finally standing in front of her, he looked dazed and shaken, like he wasn't exactly sure where he was.

"Natsu?" Lucy asked softly.

His head snapped up and he stepped forward slowly, then tears came to his eyes and he crushed her to him in a hug. "Lucy... Thank Mavis." He pulled back and kissed her almost reverently. "I thought there was no hope of me being the dominant one again, but you did it, you got him to let me out. How?"

"I'll explain everything once we get back to the inn alright? Right now Gajeel and Levy are waiting outside and if we don't come out soon, Gajeel might storm the place."

Natsu didn't seem overly concerned about Gajeel coming inside the cave, he instead focused on the other part of her sentence. "Levy? Your best friend from back home? What is she doing here?" He asked, confused.

Lucy sighed, Natsu didn't know the whole story yet, that he was a character in her books and that she was from another world. Would he take it as well as the others? Or would he freak out? She thought she knew how he would react, but there was always that chance it would go the other way. "Again, I'll explain everything back at the inn, let's just get out of here." She took his hand and pulled him towards the cave entrance.

Natsu smiled as she did it, then forced them to stop as he brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed it gently, Lucy felt her heart swell with peace and she leaned up to kiss him once before they left the cave. When they finally made it outside, Lucy was surprised to see Gajeel holding onto Levy. It was something she hadn't expected to see and neither seemed aware of their position. When Lucy and Natsu were spotted, Levy broke out of Gajeel's hold and came over to hug Lucy, the blonde was surprised to see tears in the blue haired girls eyes.

"Don't scare me like that okay?" She admonished.

Lucy hugged her friend tightly and smiled, "While I'm glad you were worried about me, you knew as well as I did that I wasn't in any danger. You're the one who translated the book after all."

"Yeah but I wasn't expecting him to look so... feral." She said quietly.

Natsu stepped forward and spoke to Levy, "I'm sorry if I scared you. To be honest, the beast scares me too."

Levy looked up at Natsu and then pulled away from Lucy to offer her hand to him. "I'm Levy McGarden, Lucy's best friend."

Natsu smiled and took her hand. "I'm Natsu Dragneel, Lucy's boyfriend."

The two of them shared a smile and then Gajeel finally spoke, "Nothing to say to me Salamander? You did try to kill me last time we were together." He was standing with his arms over his chest, a scowl on his face, body tense as if waiting for the beast to reappear.

Natsu gave a half smile and rubbed his hand along the back of his head. "Sorry for that, I tried to control the beast, but I'd already used my pull with him to get us the hell out of the poison cloud the dragon had let loose. How I'm even still alive right now, I don't have any idea."

"Yeah well, we don't either. Come on, we need to get back to the inn, and no offense, but you need a bath. That stench is enough to wilt flowers." His arms dropped to his sides as he turned and headed back for the town.

Natsu's half smile turned full blown now as he hurried to catch up with his guild mate. Lucy and Levy followed behind them a short ways and Lucy turned to her friend. "He really is a wonderful man, I'm sorry the first time you met him was when the beast was in control."

Levy shook her head, "I should have expected it, but I didn't. It won't surprise me again."

When they reached the inn, Lucy ordered a bath for Natsu and then waited for him inside their shared room. Gajeel and Levy had agreed that the two of them needed to deal with this alone, but they would be nearby in case they were needed. So when Natsu returned from the bathroom at the end of the hall, Lucy was ready with all the information Natsu deserved. As he sat on the bed, he pulled Lucy into his arms and hugged her close, kissing her forehead before he said.

"Okay, lets hear these explanations." He said with a smile, the happy go lucky dragon slayer Lucy had fallen in love with was back and it made her so very happy.

She started with the tale of how she'd come to be in Natsu's bed, about how he was really a book character she'd written and how both Levy and Cana were from her world. She didn't stop and wait for his reaction to what she had revealed so far, but instead went on to explain how they had all pitched in to find out all they could about the beast inside him and how to safely control it. By the time she was finished giving him all the information he needed, she was tense in his arms. He said nothing for the longest time, and when he did speak, it was nowhere near what she was expecting to hear.

"I love you, Lucy." He said after tilting her chin up so he could look at her.

She was stunned silent for a moment before she said in bewilderment, "I just told you that you're a made up character, that I've been lying to you from the beginning and that in order to not let the beast take control, you have to let him out, and trust that he'll listen to me and whatever I say, and all you can say is I love you?" She was in a slight panic now, hearing him say those words was beyond what she had hoped for, but still to hear them now, shook her. Didn't anything she had to say matter to him?"

"I don't care if I was some made up character in a book you wrote Luce, I'm real now, you're real now, and if Cana hadn't brought you into this world, I never would have known how to control my beast, would have most likely ended up dead at the hands of a friend, and worst of all; I would have missed out on loving you."

Lucy couldn't stop the tears that flowed down her cheeks as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I never would have written the beast overtaking you in the first place, it just sort of happened because I came here and stopped being in control of it all."

Natsu shrugged and pulled her a little tighter. "That doesn't change anything. I love you Lucy, more than I ever thought possible."

Lucy closed her eyes and let out a shuddering breath, her arms coming around his middle as she smiled softly. "I love you too, Natsu."

* * *

Aww yay they found him! They even told each other I love you! How will taming the beast go, and how will the final battle end? Find out soon!

Thank you to all who reviewed!

 **Crimsonlink310** : I had hoped people would like seeing not only the story from Natsu's perspective but also the flashbacks to both already done parts and some original as well. It's tons of fun for me to go back and do his perspective. I hope you liked my simplistic, yet complicated explanation on how to tame the wild beast. I didn't want to go too complicated with it all. We'll find out Marek's fate next week.

 **OhtaSuzuke** : Stahp, you're making me blush! I'm glad you enjoyed it :) More Natsu/beast and Lucy coming up soon!

Dark Mystique: Lucy will always find Natsu, they're soul mates!

 **Aviend** : So you got the explanation in this chapter, sorry it burst your theory bubble, but I hope you liked it anyway! Also... I never said he killed him ;)

 **Guest** : Don't cry! It's ok! No one is mad!

 **HolyChihuahua** : The cliffhangers make sure you come back week after week, hehehe I'm evil. Anyway I hope you liked the chapter as we finally find out the reason for his change, the gang didn't get there in time to save Marek, but did he die or did he live? Hmmm...

 **MaidenAlice** : I made sure that it was a bad person and not someone kind like Hershel.

 **UserM24** : Well we found out what it's going to take, what did you think? Again, I never said he killed Marek, so what's his fate? Yay reviews! They make me so so happy! I will always answer whoever takes the time to give me feedback on each chapter. I'd be nothing without the people reading this story. I mean I'd still write it for me, but it's so much nicer knowing others enjoy it as well. Gajeel and Levy's story will probably happen about a month after I finish this one, I need the the time to completely lock down exactly what I'm going to write about and where it will go. I've got it mostly, but there's still some details I have to work out. Anyway I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I look forward to your review!

 **Bitch Ate My Cupcake** : You are very welcome! I'm glad you liked the Natsu pov! I also hope you liked this chapter where we finally reunite the love birds.

 **Not Paranoid Enough** : Great name first off, secondly I'm very glad you like the story and I hope you continue to love it :)

 **Guest** : No humans were harmed... or were they?

 **Angel** : I love having her as a spitfire too, while I love how they're paired by Mashimia, for me I think Gajeel needs her to have a bit more spunk, so that's how I'm writing her. Of course she'll still have her same bookish ways and compassionate nature. Can't change that! I'm glad you liked the Natsu pov and hope you enjoyed this chapter too!


	15. Chapter 15

Once again I am late, and I'm so sorry that I am, but given the content in this chapter I wanted to make sure I had everything perfect before I posted it for everyone to see. Today's the day we find out how Lucy does with helping to tame the beast, and the fate of Marek. Alive... or dead?

Cover art by WendyMarvellxd, check her out on deviant art!

Disclaimer: Mashima owns it all and wouldn't give me Frosh even though I asked nicely. I want a Frosh.

WARNING! THIS CHAPTER IS RATED M! It will be marked with an _M._ My face is burning already.

* * *

For a little while after revealing how she came to be in this world, and what would need to be done if Natsu was going to tame the beast, they simply sat together and talked about everything that was going on back at Fairy Tail. The entire time, Natsu refused to let go of Lucy and kept randomly kissing her while they spoke. Every time it caused her to loose her train of thought, which made Natsu smile. Eventually though, she had to bring the conversation back around to the time he spent alone, the time he spent as the beast.

"Natsu... how long was the beast in control...?" She asked, almost afraid of the answer.

He had to think about it before he answered. "I think a little over a month? Time kind of blurred together while it was in control, and I tried not to watch too much of what it was doing. The hunting was... brutal, it was hard to stomach."

Lucy didn't want to ask her next question, didn't want to know, but she had to. "Did the beast... kill anyone?"

She didn't expect him to smile, but he did. "The day I lost control, it was because of a man named Marek. The beast had already been out once that morning because of someone suggesting I see a woman who wasn't you." He kissed her quickly as the blush formed. "I had left town quickly and ended up sleeping in the cave you found me in. When I woke up there was a man there, he said he was a traveler, and seemed interested in conversation. Turned out he was more interested in robbing me than talking to me. I tried to warn him off, tried to get him to leave before the beast took control again, terrified it would kill the man. Marek unfortunately didn't get the hint until the beast had come out, and by then it was too late for him to run. The beast attacked and... I will never forget the blood, the screams, how he begged for mercy. I had no control, the beast ignored all my begging, all my protests. I thought all hope was lost, but just as it was about to go for the killing blow, it stopped. For the longest time I wasn't sure what was going to happen, was it just toying with the man, would it end the man's life soon? I suddenly felt an overwhelming feeling of remorse, and the beasts thoughts turned to you Lucy. I saw the memory of how you jumped on its back to protect Gajeel, and it realized just how upset killing anyone would make you, so it simply... stopped. It got up off the man and walked away. In that moment I realized how big of an impact you had on it, how much it wanted to please you, and I realized how stupid I was to have left when you were the only thing keeping both of us sane. In that moment I realized how much we need you."

Lucy felt such joy, such pride in the fact that the beast had stopped short of killing someone because it knew she would be upset. She kissed Natsu soundly once, then again. "The first one was for you, the second was for the beast. Make sure it knows how proud I am that it stopped."

The topaz flashed to red and Natsu growled out, "It knows, and is trying to get out. I'm not ready to let it, help me."

Lucy was happy he had asked for her help, and stroked her hand over Natsu's face and neck. "Not yet, I'm still talking to him. Soon alright? I promise."

Natsu let out a noise of protest she knew to be the beast, but the battle for control receded and Natsu smiled at her. "I don't think I'll ever get used to that, how you can tame it in seconds."

She flushed, but smiled. "I treat it like I would anyone else, not as a monster. I think a lot of my hold over it simply has to do with respect, by not treating it as something to be driven out, but accepting it as a part of who you are."

"Well, whatever the reason, I know with you helping us, we'll find that harmony needed and make a great team." Natsu hugged her close and then said, "Do you by chance have anything to eat that's not raw meat? I'm a little sick of it."

Lucy laughed and pulled out of his arms, keeping hold of his hand while she led him over to Gajeel's room. When they entered, the four of them sat down to a table full of food. Smoked fish and rice tossed in soy sauce, Hodras meat and steamed veggies covered in teriyaki. For dessert there was rich chocolate cake covered in strawberry sauce with a few whole ones resting on the side of each slice. Natsu ate like a starving man, nearly moaning at the taste of everything that wasn't raw. The food was gone all too quickly, the innkeeper unaware he now housed two dragon slayers instead of one. Natsu pouted when it was all gone but insisted that he could wait until morning to eat anything else.

For a while after dinner they sat around the table and talked, first it was decided how they were going to deal with Natsu and his beast forging a partnership. Tomorrow morning the carriage would leave for the same town they had stayed in the first time and all four of them would be on it, but upon arriving, Gajeel and Levy would stay to help Wendy with her investigation, while Natsu and Lucy headed back to Magnolia and the places he was most familiar with.

Next, because an hour ago was the first Natsu had heard about any of it, they talked about the world that Lucy and Levy came from. The women answered all questions he had and when those were exhausted, they talked about their childhoods, and how they met; the story had Natsu grinning.

"So you're a big time author, huh Luce? Famous and popular, you must have a lot of guys falling at your feet. Anyone I should be worried about?" He teased.

Lucy laughed, "The people who read my books are enthusiastic about what's I've written, not about me."

Levy grinned, adding her opinion. "They're more than enthusiastic, a lot of them are obsessive. Not only do they dress up as all of you guys for the book signings, but they all want to live in this world and have adventures. Some even have dreams of being with certain guild members... romantically."

The two dragon slayers looked a little appalled at it all, but then Lucy laughed, "Can you imagine their reactions if they found out this world was real? I think there would be a good number of heart attacks and fainting spells."

The two of them laughed for a while before Levy finally said, "My point was, Natsu, that you don't have to worry about anyone vying for Lucy's attention. You're actually her first boyfriend, ever."

Lucy's cheeks went up in flames and she swatted at Levy. "You didn't have to tell him that! Makes it sound like there's something wrong with me!"

Natsu grinned and pulled her closer, planting a kiss on her forehead. "Actually, that makes me very... very happy." The look he was giving her made Lucy flush, the two of them now oblivious to their friends, who were growing increasingly uncomfortable.

"Well, it's an early morning tomorrow, the carriage leaves just after sunrise so I'm going to head to bed." Levy rose and hugged Lucy, then waved at Natsu, though she all but ignored Gajeel. "Night everyone."

After she left the room, Lucy turned to Gajeel, "Thank you, for travelling with her, protecting her. I know this is still all processing for a logical brained person like Levy, and it's nice to know someone's looking out for her."

Gajeel shrugged and wouldn't look at her, "I make sure she's safe so I don't have to deal with Salamander if something happens to her and you get upset. I don't feel like having a rematch with the beast." Then he grinned, "Not yet anyway."

"Whatever the reason, thank you." Lucy got up and kissed his cheek, causing the iron dragon slayer to blush. "Whatever, just go to bed before he starts something I don't want to see the ending of."

Lucy looked over to find Natsu watching her with hungry eyes, they hadn't left her the whole time she spoke with Gajeel. Her cheeks flamed to life as she held out a hand to him, he took it and pulled her under his arm, making sure she was close to his side as they walked back to the room.

As soon as the door was shut Natsu pushed Lucy up against it and wrapped his arms around her waist, hooking his thumbs in the waistline of her skirt. He kissed her once, deeply and then pressed his face between her breasts and breathed deeply, letting out a shivering sigh. "I missed you, Luce."

She smiled and threaded her fingers through his hair a few times before she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and leaned her head against his. "I missed you too Natsu, so much that I think I went a little crazy for a while."

She felt his laugh vibrate through her chest, and then he sighed again. "One day soon, I'm going to take you over to our bed and love you in every way imaginable, and I won't stop until I have you begging."

Lucy's breath stopped and she could hear her heart pounding in her ears as he spoke. She was about to tell him he didn't have to hold back, when he continued speaking.

"I can't yet though, not when the beast is still so close to the surface. When I make love to you Lucy, I know it's going to be special, I know that it's going to be the most unbelievable thing I've ever experienced. I don't want to share that with the beast, or worry about him coming in and taking over halfway through. When I make love to you, I want you all to myself." He lifted his face and kissed the quivering top of first one breast, and then the other. His eyes found hers then and he smiled.

Lucy leaned in and kissed him gently, but deeply. "When you're ready, not a moment before. Take all the time you need."

They shared a long moment with their lips pressed together before he swept her up bridal style and took her to the bed. He stripped both of them down to their underwear and pulled the blanket up over their bodies. Settling Lucy comfortably in his arms he nuzzled her head. "Night Lucy, I love you."

She smiled, snuggling in just a bit more. "Goodnight Natsu, I love you too."

* * *

When two of them walked out of the inn the next morning hand in hand, it was obvious by the look on Gajeel's face that he hadn't had a pleasant sleep. The confirmation came when he opened his mouth.

"I don't want to see any of that lovey dovey shit on the trip back, I'm already going to be sick and I don't need the added nausea." He growled.

Lucy rolled her eyes as she walked past him and climbed into the carriage behind Levy, "Don't worry, we'll keep the lovey dovey shit to a minimum. He'll be sick too remember?"

Her answer was a grunt, the weight of his body making the carriage momentarily dip to the side as he got in. Gajeel's big frame squeezed Levy into a corner while Lucy sat with Natsu's head in her lap, ensuring there would be enough room for them both.

The day and a half journey was exhausting for everyone, Natsu hadn't traveled in a while and seemed to be even more nauseous than normal. Meanwhile Gajeel was sick and surly, so when he did speak it was usually to snap something at Levy, who snapped right back. When they finally arrived at their destination, everyone seemed to split up and go their separate ways with no real plan to get back together. Natsu and Lucy would be leaving the next morning, but Gajeel and Levy needed to ensure they had rooms for the next week or so.

It wasn't until that evening that they convened once again, the food laid out by the innkeeper was a powerful draw. This one was well aware of the dragon slayers appetites and therefore had made sure so much food was on hand it looked like he'd be feeding the entire town. The meal was mostly silent, except for Lucy and Levy speaking to each other every so often. Partway through the meal, Happy suddenly appeared and landed on top of Natsu's head.

"Happy!" The pinkette cried, grabbing hold of the cat and dancing around in a circle while the sound of endless purring filled the dining room.

"How..?" Lucy wondered.

"He came with us." A quiet voice sounded from behind them. Everyone turned to see a blue haired girl of about 13 standing there with her own flying cat, but unlike Happy, this one was white.

"Wendy!" Natsu cried and went to greet the girl too. She was immediately squished in his arms as he laughed in his joy.

"It's good to see you Natsu-san, but you're squishing me." She managed to get out.

Natsu let her go, but dragged her to sit down at the table. "When did you get here?"

"I've been in this town for a while now, apparently I missed Gajeel and Levy by a matter of hours when I first arrived. I knew you'd all be back soon though so I started searching on my own. I haven't found anything so far, but now that I'll have help it shouldn't take too long." She smiled at them all.

"Well Salamander and bunny-girl are leaving for Magnolia in the morning, but you'll have me and Levy to help you out." Gajeel said, being surprisingly nice considering his mood the past couple days.

The younger girl smiled, "That sounds perfect, for now though do you think I could have some of those berry tarts?"

Levy handed the girl the plate and she smiled her thanks. The rest of the night went smoother and everyone's mood had lightened by the time they all went to bed.

The morning brought another round of goodbyes as Natsu and Lucy headed for home. Gajeel even muttered to Lucy at door to the carriage that he'd arranged for his car to be ready for when they got to the train station. Lucy thought that was the sweetest thing, and told him so, but he just shrugged and walked away.

Having the car, as well as the attendants, to help Lucy with Natsu on the way back was great, and the long travel time passed quickly. They had agreed not to go to the guild, but to send a note via Happy that they were back, but wouldn't be by the guild hall until Natsu's beast was more under control.

The first few days of handling the beast were relatively simple, she asked Natsu to let the beast out, and then the beast to let Natsu out. When she was asking, neither of them had a problem with it, but when Lucy left it up to Natsu to decide when the beast would come out, the task became more difficult. Natsu worried about the temperament of the beast because they were living their lives rather normally. Fishing, cleaning, eating, but all the while she had been bringing the beast out, telling him it couldn't just be done in a controlled environment, otherwise when it came time to be tested, they'd fail.

Natsu eventually began to let the beast out at random times, in the middle of dinner, in the middle of the night; once he even let it out in the middle of their make out session. That one had surprised Lucy, but she of course went with it. The problem they had was not Natsu letting the beast out, it was getting the beast to become the non dominant being once again. Lucy was trying to get it to listen to Natsu, to reign itself in when asked by the one it shared a body with, not just when Lucy did. That part took much, much longer.

Eventually though, the beast seemed to start respecting Natsu for his stubbornness and will to keep trying even though he was the weaker one. The beast would sigh like it was enduring a great trial, and then let Natsu take control again. Eventually that respect turned to trust, each one trusting that they would not be overpowered by the other permanently and would once more have control. It took a full two months to get to that point, and they hadn't even added magic or any kind of dangerous element yet.

The good news was that in that time, Wendy, Gajeel and Levy had figured out what caused most of the town to still be standing after an attack from the poison cloud dragon. When Lucy heard what held the immunity, she had burst out laughing. It was so simple that she should have thought of it herself, and much sooner. The Tsaro berries, the ones the town was known for, that only grew in those mountains, had a nullifying and even healing affect to the cloud of the poison dragon. Porlyusica had made a potion from the berries and now both Elfman and Evergreen were healthy and awake, though they were still being kept on bed rest as their bodies got used to movement again.

The news that their friends were okay gave Natsu a renewed resolve to form a partnership between him and his beast, but as time wore on he and Lucy became discouraged. The beast was being stubborn, refusing to let Natsu do any of the fighting as Lucy brought her spirits out to spar with the two of them. Natsu told her that it was because the beast didn't trust him to get the job done, to make sure that their enemies stayed dead, and that they couldn't hurt Lucy or anyone she cared about anymore.

Lucy got sick of it eventually, and after gaining permission from Makarov she brought the beast to the guild hall. No one but Levy and Gajeel had seen Natsu when he was the beast, so when they entered, the entire place went silent. Lucy knew how he must look to everyone, scaled skin, black wings, horns sprouting from his head, sharp fangs and clawed hands. He looked like a demon, and it made more than one person nervous. She led him out back to where their training grounds were, and she found Erza and Jellal in mid fight against Gray and Juvia.

"Do you know why I brought you here?" She asked the beast, who shook its head and motioned towards the exit. "No, we're not leaving, I want you to see something. You've been amazingly stubborn in your insistence that Natsu can't fight or protect anyone because he's weaker than you, but that's not what we're trying to do. We don't want one of you stronger than the other, we want you equal, so I brought you here to see these two couples fight. They fight together, leaning on each others strengths, compensating for weaknesses, and together they're even stronger. This, is what I want for you and Natsu, what he wants for the two of you, a partnership, but we can't have it if you're not willing to try."

The beast turned back to watch the fighting and she could see his expression change from uninterested, to avid. The couples were quite fluid, even graceful in the way they fought. Years of having each others backs had them in sync from start to finish. When the mock battle ended, the beast stepped forward and motioned towards Erza and Jellal. They had immediately raised their guard when he approached, but Lucy just smiled.

"I think it wants to try sparring with you guys, if you're okay with that."

The couple looked at each other and then Erza nodded, "Very well, but should the need arise, you can control him?" She asked, their thoughts all turning to when the beast had attacked Gajeel.

"He won't go that far, right?" She forced the beast to look at her. "These are my friends, I will be upset if you hurt them."

It nodded and then turned to charge at the couple.

This was how it went for the next week, the beast sparred with all the partnerships in the guild, gaining knowledge on how they fought. At night Natsu would inform Lucy about how he could tell the beast was thinking, determining if he indeed needed Natsu while fighting. He must have decided so, because one day in the middle of a fight with Juvia and Gray, the beast disappeared and Natsu came out flaming, his fire attack clashing with ice as it speared towards them.

Every day after that, the changes between Natsu and his beast got easier, and the transformation became instantaneous. They were almost one person now, instead of two beings sharing the same body.

It was six months after Natsu and Lucy had arrived back in Magnolia, and everything seemed peaceful once more, the only lingering question was the poison cloud dragon. Where was it, and when would it attack again? There had been no word on it from the surviving towns up north, and when someone from the guild would go up to check on things, they didn't find any trace of it either.

Laying in the grass outside their house, Natsu and Lucy were staring up at the night sky while she told him stories about the constellations, just like she used to. Lucy was in the middle of a sentence when Natsu suddenly appeared above her. One of his eyes was familiar topaz, while the other was bright red. She'd gotten used to this phenomenon by now, it signaled that man and beast were in sync and it was a sight that always made her happy.

Smiling up at him now she asked, "If you were trying to scare me, it worked."

Natsu didn't smile back, those mismatched eyes were searching her face. She reached up to trace lines along his cheeks when he said softly, "I'm ready."

Lucy's brow furrowed as her fingers kept moving. "Ready for..."

 _M_

Her words were cut off as Natsu leaned down and captured her mouth in a searing kiss. She instantly knew what he was talking about and brought her arms up to wrap around his neck. One hand propped him above her as the other began to wander a trail down her side until it got to the hem of her shirt, fingertips skimming along the patch of skin already exposed before he drew the fabric up, away from what he sought. Palm laid flat on her smooth belly, he worked his way north until his path was impeded by the bra she wore. Letting a low growl escape his lips, Natsu let the beast come out just enough that he could snap the fragile bridge that joined the piece into one with a claw, freeing her breasts to his roaming hand.

He cupped one breast, testing the weight before he squeezed gently, massaging the firm mound and eliciting moans of pleasure from Lucy. Natsu startled her by taking her nipple abruptly and pinching it to hardness and then rolling the peaked bud between his fingertips. Lucy's body started to move against his touches, her hands roaming through his hair while she arched to feel more of what he was doing. Natsu smiled against her lips and switched his ministrations to her other breast. For a while that was all he did, but soon enough he broke the kiss and reached down to remove her shirt. When she was exposed to him, he stopped, his eyes wandering over her luscious breasts, and flat stomach. He gently touched each inch of her skin before his mouth descended on those same peaks he had already teased to hard points, and took one into his mouth.

His tongue laved the swollen buds until Lucy was writing against him, her hands pulling him closer as she moaned. If he was this skilled with his tongue, she wondered how good he was at everything else. Natsu finally pulled back, a smile of satisfaction on his face to see Lucy flushed and panting; he hadn't even gotten to the good stuff yet. Hooking one arm beneath her legs and one behind her back, he lifted Lucy with ease and walked back into the house.

Without taking his eyes off her, he gently laid her down on the bed, though he stayed standing. Natsu touched her skin gently, playing along the top of her pants, he looked to her for permission, smiling when she nodded. Undoing the button and lowering the zipper first, he slowly worked the garment down, taking her panties along with them. Then, for the first time, she was fully bared before him. Lucy was flushing, slightly embarrassed at first, but then she looked up into his eyes and the hunger she saw there dispelled all her insecurities.

"I was right." He said hoarsely. "This is going to be the best experience of my life."

Natsu removed his clothes, his eyes never leaving hers as he did so, and when he was fully naked he didn't give her a chance to look at him before he joined her on the bed He covered her body with his own, arms bracing his weight on either side of her while the thick evidence of his desire prodded at her belly. Both of them gasped at the intimate contact, the heat and electricity of flesh meeting flesh was unlike anything either one of them had ever experienced. Natsu nudged her legs apart and settled himself between her legs before he kissed her thoroughly, rocking slightly. He didn't enter her, but the friction was amazing to them both.

His lips connected with hers once more, Lucy thought she might go crazy. They hadn't even done anything overly intimate yet and she was already thoughtless. Natsu's kisses were like a drug, she wanted more and more and more. Lucy met his tongue eagerly when it begged permission to enter, and her hips began to move in time with his. He felt wonderful at her core, but the ache that had built inside wasn't going to go away like this.

Soon enough she was doing just as he'd said she would, she begged.

"Natsu..." She said breathlessly against his lips, "Natsu please..."

He smiled and kissed her once more before he moved to her chin, and then to her neck, licking, sucking, biting as Lucy tilted her head to give him better access. Natsu kissed his way down her throat and then between her breasts, stopping to give each peak a lick before he continued his journey downward. He stopped at her navel and let his tongue dip inside, making Lucy arch. Her breathing was getting more laboured now as she waited for what was to come next. He kissed her hip bone, and as he shifted his body, his tongue found her inner thighs. He stopped then, pulling in a deep breath as he gazed at her moist heat.

"Lucy, you look... delicious." He purred, right before leaning forward and licking her slowly from the bottom of her slit, all the way to the top.

Lucy nearly came off the bed, her legs clamping around his head as she clutched the sheet in her fists. "Natsu!"

He chuckled and forced her legs apart, shifting them so each was over his shoulders before he moved to once again taste her. He settled into a rhythm, licking her wet slit like a starving man, plying the nub at the apex of her thighs with his lips, making Lucy arch and moan in pleasure. One hand came down to tug on his hair while she bent at the middle to watch his head move between her legs. Damn that was an erotic sight, and it was nearly her undoing. Just when she didn't think she could take anymore, he pressed his tongue inside her body, his mouth sealing around her wetness. Lucy had never felt something like this before and she jerked on a gasp, a whimper escaping her lips.

Natsu soon moved to focus on that little nub he knew would giveher so much pleasure, bringing up his hand to insert a single finger into Lucy. She fell back onto the bed, panting as her face burned, contorting in pleasure because of his ministrations. She could feel the orgasm building already and knew it wouldn't be long before she crested that cliff.

Another finger was added to her body, each one moving independently inside her while he pulled her clit deeper inside his mouth. Lucy couldn't take much more, her breathing was harsh, her skin felt like it was on fire. He wound her higher and higher until everything broke apart and she cried out his name, her body squeezing his fingers as they were suddenly covered in her juices.

Natsu waited until the last of her orgasm had subsided before he pulled back, locking eyes with her. He licked his lips, and then sucked his fingers clean, Lucy's eyes riveted on the sight. "Better than any fruit." He rumbled.

He shifted upward until his shaft was prodding at her entrance, pausing there he began to stroke her legs while asking, "Tell me now if you don't want this. It may kill me, but I'll stop if you ask me to."

Lucy bent at the waist and rained kisses all over his muscled chest, her hands stroking up and down his sides. "I think it might kill me if you stop."

Natsu smiled, leaning down to kiss her deeply as he pressed his hips forward, entering her slowly. He had been informed months ago that she was a virgin, and because of that he treated her like glass, so careful not to hurt her. Before long he felt a slight resistance, but he pushed through it with only a small grunt from Lucy. A moment later he was seated fully inside her, their bodies joined in the most intimate and primal way.

"Are you alright?" He asked, his voice tight. Lucy could see little beads of sweat dot his forehead as he held himself in check.

"I'm fine," She said, a little breathless herself, then brought his hand up to kiss the palm gently. "You feel... perfect."

Natsu pushed her gently back onto the mattress and leaned over her, foreheads touching while he began to move inside her. Lucy felt that first frisson of pleasure shoot through her and she gasped, heels digging into his ass. Natsu's eyes had fallen shut and he breathed heavily through his mouth. "Perfect..." He echoed as the pace increased.

He stroked in and out of her body, again and again, bringing his hands to play with her breasts while his mouth sought hers in a frenzied kiss. Lucy's hands touched every inch of him she could reach; his arms, his chest, his neck, his back, fingers finally gripping his hips, trying to pull him in harder. With a grunt, Natsu responded to her request, each thrust bringing more force behind it. Lucy felt her body arch towards him and she let her nails show him how much she enjoyed it.

Natsu suddenly released both her mouth and her breasts as he reared up, gripping her hips with his hands and beginning to take her faster. His face was one of concentration while he plunged into her moist heat, rubbing against clenching inner walls.

"Lucy..." He whispered, "I'm sorry, I... I'm almost there..."

Lucy rubbed her feet along his legs and said on a moan, "Yes.."

"Should I... pull out?" He asked, trying to concentrate on holding back.

She shook her head and smiled, even as her face showed the pleasure he gave her. "No... I want to... feel it."

Natsu groaned and fell on top of her, his arms braced his weight, but his face pressed into her neck. She wrapped her arms around him as he thrust inside her once, twice, three more times and then stiffed in her arms. Lucy's name was a groan issued from his lips.

For a long time after that he didn't move, and Lucy didn't mind at all. She wrapped her legs around him fully and tightened her hold on him. Lips trailed along his shoulder up to his ear, and she whispered. "Most incredible thing I have ever experienced."

He shifted then, turning his head to find her lips and give her a heated kiss. It was long moments before he moved, rolling off to the side, but dragging her with him. They were both still breathless, but completely sated. Lucy snuggled into his arms, laying her head across his chest while his fingers lazily ran up and down her arm.

"I think you killed me." Natsu murmured.

Lucy laughed quietly at that, pressing her lips to his chest. "At least you died happy."

He smiled, "That I did."

* * *

Well! My cheeks are still burning. I hope you enjoyed my first foray into the lemon world (And this time I'm positive it's lemon :P) It was... fun to write, but I'm not sure how everyone will feel about it. Too much? Too little? Anyway... we also found out the fate of Marek, what did you guys think? Fitting? As always please leave me feed back! I promise also to try my damned hardest to post on time next week. Life has been kicking my ass lately and I am so sorry for the late posts.

Thank you to all who reviewed!

 **Nalucreep** : The fact that your name is Nalu creep and you've read it from the beginning at least three times makes me laugh at such a perfect name. I'm so glad you enjoy my work and I hope you'll keep enjoying it!

 **Aviend** : IIIII love fluff lol

 **FlameDragonHime** : Isn't he though? D'awww

 **Crimsonlink310** : Damn illness got worse! I'm running a fever now and my throat is killing me. I blame my husband, my sister and all my customers at work lol. A lot of what I've written as "This happened and then they went here." will be more detailed in Gajeel and Levy's story, I had to leave SOME stuff for that one. The big finale of course will be the poison cloud dragon, and I still have a few surprises regarding that. I hope I explained well why Natsu didn't put up a resistance, your comment got me thinking why he wouldn't have an this was the result. Did you like it? How about the welcome back? Beast battles! lol. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it was... an experience writing it.

 **Bitch Ate My Cupcake** : Thank you for reading and reviewing! I love fluffy love and just squee inducing cuteness. I'm such a romantic lol

 **HolyChihuahua** : They're all better, while I am even more sick now than I was before. *Shakes fist at family*. I know, I know, only 2 chapters left now, but don't worry, I'm not done writing forever. I still have Levy and Gajeel to do and then a couple ideas for other stories but that's a ways off. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

 **ToastedWeirdBrain** : lol I don't know about best of friends... Tolerant I'd say lol

 **UserM24** : I would never use sex between characters that way. It's a cheap way to just add that scandalous factor. My characters are in love, I would never demean that. What did you think about why the beast kept Marek alive? Plausible? So much that's happened with Gajeel and Levy will be explained in more detail when I do they're story. It's going to go back and start in Levy and Lucy's world with Levy worried about her friend. So it's going to be a parrallel story. How did you like the way I got them to work together? For that matter how did I do with the sex scene? Please let me know your thoughts!

 **Angel** : I hope I answered all of your questions with this chapter! Reviews are helpful in the way that they always keep me thinking and they force me to answer questions that I know the answer to, but I haven't put down for my readers. I'm grateful to you all for that! The story between Gajeel and Levy will indeed be interesting! I've got most of it worked out, just need to do the outline.

: How did you like it? Was it fun?

 **Writing Pixie** : How about this one? Hot Fuzzies?


	16. Chapter 16

Okay... you guys are going to hate me... I miscalculated and just realized... this is it guys, this is the last chapter. It's been an incredible journey and a wonderful first foray into the fan fic world. I never imagined having as many readers and followers as I have. You guys are honestly what made it even possible for me to keep going when I had bad weeks or blocks and even this damn sickness that's still hanging on. I am grateful to each and every one of you for choosing my story to read. I promise this won't be my last.

Today we find out the exciting conclusion of the poison cloud dragon branch of the story! I still have some surprises up my sleeve for it and I hope you all like where I went with it. It's been a long time in the making.

Cover Art by WendyMarvellxd! Check her out on Deviant Art.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, just this little slice of creativity.

Stay tuned after review replies for a special treat!

* * *

Lucy and Natsu lay wrapped in each others arms, the smile never leaving Lucy's face. She had never felt so content, so at peace; she had finally found where she belonged. For a while after they made love, the two of them simply talked about nothing and about everything. The most important of which was a decision she had been holding off on, but had finally made very recently.

"I'm going to stay here, in Earthland." She said quietly, tracing Natsu's fingers with her own.

Natsu shifted his head to look at her, his features showing confusion, as if he never expected her to consider it. "You were going to leave?"

"I hadn't decided, not until recently. I was waiting to see what the outcome would be for you and the beast. As much as I love this world and everyone in it, what makes it home is you Natsu. If you had changed into the very thing you hunted, or died by someone's hand for being out of control, I don't think I could have stayed here. Even if all we ever were was friends, you're my best friend, and a life without you isn't one I like to think of." She kissed his hand.

He moved so he was looming over her, searching her face quickly before he kissed her deeply. "Good, I feel the same way."

He kissed her again and then let his hands wander her still naked body, soon they were both panting with need. The made love slower this time, if that was possible, more time spent on finding those sensitive spots, finding what each other liked. By the end both of them were exhausted, and satisfied.

The next morning they went to the guild, being greeted by everyone there. The fear shown to Natsu because of his beast had disappeared, the frequency of his visits and even some conversations with the beast had calmed many who were afraid. Even if those conversations were mostly one sided with a lot of gesturing. The best part of it all was when Natsu told Lucy that the beast was starting to see the guild members as friends, as those he could also trust. It made the danger he posed to them almost none and it made Lucy proud to see how far the two of them had come.

Natsu and Lucy approached the table holding their closest friends hand in hand. As soon as they slid into the booth, Levy burst out laughing, causing Lucy to blush. She swatted at her friend who leaned in close to her side.

"You look happy, finally happened did it?" Levy whispered.

Still flushing, Lucy looked over at her friend, her own voice hushed. "Yes, now shh! Not everyone needs to know."

"Lu-chan, everyone knows. Between your blush and that look your man is giving you, trust me, it's not a secret." She was still grinning.

Lucy looked over to Natsu, who was looking at her with a mixture of possession and pride. She had to get them off this topic, so she said frantically. "Yeah, well what about the way Gajeel is looking at you?"

The two of them looked over to the bar where the metal head was scowling in Levy's direction, his features one of complete frustration. It was the bluenette's turn to go on the defensive. "I don't know what you're talking about." She promptly turned back to the group, entering in the middle of a discussion.

"There's been no word on the dragon for months. The only lead we had turned out to be an ash dragon living in a burned out forest." Erza said, no small amount of frustration in her voice.

"She has to be somewhere, Natsu said he wounded her, but by now she should be healed. Has she gone into hiding? Given up? Whatever the case, we still have to find her." Gray said.

"Juvia agrees, we cannot let her decide she wants to kill again." The water mage nodded.

"I'm not sure what else we can do though until we get some sort of lead. We're better off focusing on other jobs, I want to stop this dragon as much as all of you do, but other people need our help in the meantime." Jellal said.

"He's right," Lucy chimed in. "Until something gives, we need to focus our attentions elsewhere."

Everyone agreed, and over the next few days they all picked new jobs to do. Life was idyllic for a little while, but it only lasted until Lisanna returned for a visit. Lucy, Natsu, Levy, Gajeel and Wendy were seated at a table when she came in. Something seemed off about the girl, and when she was waved over she seemed preoccupied. As soon as she sat down, they were informed as to what had her so distracted.

"Guys... the egg, it's gone, and the dragon who came in with all the burns... she's dead."Lisanna said quietly.

Silence descended on the group. The news was so unexpected that no one knew how to respond, finally Lucy spoke.

"How?" Was all she could get out.

"The egg we don't know, it was in a secured room, guarded by all sorts of magic. It should have been impossible, and yet it's gone. The dragon... her name was Thaya, had been getting better. We were giving her berries from the mountains everyday and she had just regained ability to speak. Then suddenly she was gone, it just doesn't make any sense." Lisanna seemed bewildered.

"Has anyone investigated?" Levy asked.

Lisanna nodded, "It's in progress right now, I just wanted to bring the news here personally, since at least the egg began with you guys. Not to mention the fact that we were hoping Thaya could tell us who attacked her, and why. It makes me suspicious actually, the fact that she died when she was so close to being able to tell us everything."

"You think she was murdered." Gajeel said, more of a statement than a question.

"I do, by whoever took the egg and hurt Thaya in the first place. I'm beginning to think they're the same person." Lisanna confessed.

"How do we figure it out?" Wendy asked next.

"Do you guys have security lacrima?" Lucy asked. "Maybe something will show on there."

"They're looking at everything. I'll hear from them when they have something, until then... we wait." Lisanna shrugged.

Natsu, who had been quiet up until now, finally burst out, jumping out of his seat. "Dammit! Why can't we find her?!" His eyes had gone red and he was practically snarling. Both he and his beast wanted a rematch with the dragon who had nearly killed their friends.

"Natsu, calm down." Lucy said softly, her hand coming up to gently touch his side. People all around the hall were going quiet, there may be trust for the beast, but he was still dangerous and everyone was wary.

He heaved a sigh and flopped back into his seat. "I hate just sitting around, I want to DO something." He said, lacing his fingers through Lucy's.

"As soon as we have a lead Salamander, we'll all be right there with you." Gajeel said.

So they waited, and waited some more. Nothing turned up with the investigation into the death of Thaya and disappearance of the egg. The Lacrima had somehow been wiped and all they could find on the deceased was more poison. Leading them to the same conclusion as discussed weeks before. Everyone was getting discouraged, the fear was that they would never get a lead. Then one afternoon, something unexpected happened.

Lucy and Natsu were having lunch, discussing the next job they were going to take on, when Lucy happened to look up and see a man standing nervously in the entrance to the guild hall. Lucy couldn't believe what she was seeing for a moment, but she got up and approached him.

"You're the innkeeper from the inn we stayed at in the mountains, Mr. Tsubaki?" She asked him.

He started when she spoke to him, but then he looked relieved. "Oh thank heavens, I've found you. I was not entirely certain I had the right guild."

Lucy smiled, "Well you do, what brings you all this way?"

"Well you see, we are... having a bit of a problem in the town; one of the dragons in the mountains is going on a rampage. Apparently it has discovered it can't kill us by the usual means, uh poison, so it's resorting to coming in at night and killing townspeople. I've been tasked with coming to ask for your help." He almost seemed afraid they'd decline.

Lucy's heart sped up, this just might be the lead they were waiting for. "You want us to kill the dragon?"

"Well if it can't be convinced to stop, yes. We'll pay you of course, but if you could come soon we would be most grateful." Mr. Tsubaki said hopefully.

"Please come in and sit down." She lead him over to the table where Natsu sat. "I'll just go get our guild master, I'm sure he'll want to hear all about this."

"Oh! Of course, if you think it's that important." The small man said nervously.

Lucy smiled, "Trust me, it's very important."

She went and found Makarov, who came and spoke to the innkeeper at length, questioning him about how long it had been going on, how many had died so far, if anyone had seen the dragon doing this. Unfortunately there hadn't been a sighting so far, if you saw the dragon, you were already dead. In short order Makarov ordered Natsu, Gajeel and Wendy to go deal with the dragon. Lucy tagged along just in case the beast got out of control, and there was no way Levy was being left behind to miss all the action.

They left that night on the last train out, Wendy casting troya on them all so there was no worry of motion sickness this trip. They needed everyone able bodied to plan their course of action once they arrived, every day of travel more people died and that was unacceptable. Between the five of them they agreed on a strategy to lure the dragon out of hiding.

They got into town a week later, shaving a day off by making no stops to rest during the night. The innkeeper had accompanied them back so they were given rooms quickly after arriving, and the remaining three hours until dark were spent going over the plan a final time.

Just after sunset the five of them were in place, everyone having made sure to eat more than a few berries, just in case the dragon tried that first. Wendy and Lucy were to be used as decoys, hopefully distracting the attention away from the other two slayers who were lying in wait. The two women sat on the edge of the fountain in the middle of town square and ate ice cream, talking and laughing loudly. Both Gajeel and Natsu could see everything that was going on from where they hid in the shadows, Levy had stayed back at the inn to help distract the unknowing travelers and keep them inside.

The hours passed quietly and it seemed like nothing was going to happen, but then they began to see green fog slowly seep around them. Lucy and Wendy feigned fear and stood up on the stone blocks of the fountain, calling for help. As the poison curled up their ankles and around their legs, a figure stepped out from the shadows. It wasn't the poison cloud dragon they expected, instead it was a man.

"Good evening ladies, it seems you've been sampling the berries the lovely people of this town ingest to keep from being affected by my poison. A shame really, I much rather kill by those means than by getting my hands dirty. Alas it looks like I shall have to, quite unfortunate. I am however, a gentleman at my core, and I will allow you to choose the way you die." The man finally stepped into the light, his hair was maroon now, but his eyes were still green. Well one was, the other was sealed shut by a scar.

"Why are you doing this?" Wendy asked, playing up the little girl role.

"It's quite simple really, I want to start a new war between dragons and humans. All this peace is not really suitable, for someone with my... interests. I crave the chaos of war, and the free reign to kill. I can't do that now, so I'm trying to cause dissent between the humans and dragons. So far it's been going quite well, no one suspects it's a human responsible for wiping out the towns in this area. I've been quite careful to make sure all the blame is on a specific dragon, but as long as I have her child, she can't do a thing to me."

"It's you!" Lucy blurted out, her brain finally getting past the shock of seeing him again.

That gave the man pause, his head leaned to the side. "You're the girl from the capital, Lucy was it?" He gave her a charming smile.

"Alphonse." She said bitterly.

"Actually it's Erik, but lets keep that between us alright?" He laughed. "Of course you will, you'll be dead soon. I only ever approached you because I thought you had the damn egg, though by the time we met it was already in the incubation facility. Still, I've got to thank you for keeping it safe for me until I could fetch it. Lost the damn thing when I had... a bit of a problem."

"I knew you were a creep the moment I laid eyes on you." Natsu snarled as he came forward from where he hid, his eyes glowing red and horns starting to grow.

Erik spun around to see Natsu coming out of the darkness. "Oh good, you're here too." Though he sounded less than pleased.

Natsu snarled and Gajeel suddenly appeared at his side. "Slowly buddy, focus on why we're here."

Erik seemed amused, "Oh I see, that's the way of it then, you're here to kill me. Unfortunately for all of you, it will be quite the other way round. My plans are out in the open, so like the villain to drone on about his dastardly plans. I admit it's quite therapeutic, no one to brag to really just makes the genius of it all a little less... well genius. Ladies it seems I'll have to deal with you in a moment, first I have to deal with your friends. One at a time or would you like to double team?"

It was more than Natsu could handle, he lunged for the man with his fists flaming. "Fire dragon, Iron Fist!" He struck out at the man but missed, again and again he tried to hit him, but no blow landed. Angry and heaving, Natsu stepped back.

"See? It won't be me who looses tonight, not when I hear you." Erik smirked.

"Hear me?" Natsu said, "What the hell do you mean hear you."

"It means... I can hear you." He said, dodging a strike from behind, delivered by Gajeel.

"I think... I think he's reading your minds." Lucy called out, not sure how to help, this was way beyond what she knew she was capable of doing.

"Very good Lucy. I applaud your quick deduction!" He suddenly lashed out at struck Natsu, sending him flying.

Lucy screamed, wanting so badly to run to him, but knowing she couldn't. Natsu got up and wiped the blood from his cheek, the transformation was taking hold of him.

"If you can read my mind... I better find something inside me that doesn't think before it acts." His voice became more and more gravelly as he spoke, and then the beast was there. Snarling and heaving, it lumbered closer to Erik. The unpredictable nature of the beast was their best bet at winning.

"Do you really think take over magic is going to stop me from reading your mind? You must be..." He was cut off when the beast charged him, horns hitting him squarely in the middle and causing him to fly back and land against the side of a house.

The beast was heaving, waiting for the murdering dragon slayer to get up so he could attack again. When Erik finally got to his feet he was a bit surprised.

"I don't... understand... It's just take over magic." He said.

"That's where you're wrong asshat, he's actually a demon, and you're threatening what it loves most." Gajeel smirked.

The beast charged again, this time grabbing Erik around the throat and slamming him down into the ground before throwing him as far as he could. The poison dragon slayer's body crumpling against the side of a store. He recovered quicker this time and spat acid in the direction of the beast, who missed it so narrowly, his billowing pants suddenly had a large hole in them.

The two dragon slayers met again and again in a fierce battle, more than one building crumpling beneath the force of the blows. Soon they were both bloody, but Natsu and his beast clearly had the upper hand. Erik was fading, whereas the beast barely looked winded.

"I'm not... going to loose." Erik panted, "I'll get... what I wanted."

The beast snarled, once more making it's way towards the man, but it was drawn up short when a great gust of wind blew him back and the ground shook. When the dust cleared they were all suddenly staring at a poison cloud dragon, Erik unconscious beneath one of it's clawed feet. They stared at him, and he stared back, the air tense as each waited to see what the other would do. The dragon was the first to break the silence.

"You are not working with him." He stated.

"Who the hell are you?" Gajeel yelled out rudely.

The dragon's large green head shifted towards him. "I am Axxion, poison cloud dragon, and unfortunate teacher to this ungrateful welp below my talon. I must beg your forgiveness for not arriving sooner, I was busy consoling my mate."

"You trained him?" Lucy called out.

"Yes, I did. Though when I agreed to take him on, he was not like this. By the time my blinded eyes were open, it was too late. He had killed all of the eggs in my clutch except one, holding it over my mate and I as leverage so we would not to stop him in his mad scheme for war. We almost had him once, but it left my Atheria scarred. We both retreated, and our egg was lost." Axxion turned to Lucy. "I understand you and the pink haired boy took it to the dragon sanctuary. I thank you for taking such good care of our young."

Lucy had come up beside the beast and slipped her hand through his. "If I had known... we attacked your mate."

Axxion nodded, "That was my Atheria's fault, she had heard of some friends of Erik's and thought you were them, coming to finish her off while I searched for him and our child. Again I must apologize. I have fortunately, found where he was hiding our egg, and have taken it back to my cave. It's safe now, and so I am able to put an end to this ungrateful and disrespectful welp. Thank you, for all you did to help us, I am in your debt. It brings me sorrow to know that he has killed so many, I will carry the weight of their deaths with me for the rest of my life. Please know, if you ever have a need for help, I can be found in the cave were you watched my mate."

"He'll face retribution?" Gajeel asked, "We can't let you take him otherwise."

The dragon paused just before he was about to take off, "I promise you, he will not live to see sunrise, but it is the right of my Atheria to kill him. Follow if you must, but it may already be done by the time you arrive. Be well humans." He took off with another great gust of wind and disappeared with Erik into the dark sky.

The sudden stillness in the night was deafening after the battle that had raged and the confusing aftermath. The beast faded and Natsu came back, throwing his arm around Lucy. "Well... I can't say I'm exactly satisfied with that ending, but at least he's going to be dealt with."

"Still... shouldn't he have been taken to the council?" Wendy asked, coming up alongside Gajeel.

"Yeah, I don't think we'll be prying him away from one dragon, let alone two. Besides, I'm positive he'll get exactly what he deserves." Gajeel said.

"We never asked why he killed Thaya." Lucy realized.

"I don't think he had a reason, you heard him, he just liked to kill." Natsu leaned over and kissed Lucy's temple.

"This whole thing was... I'm just glad it's over." She leaned her head against Natsu as they walked back towards the inn.

When they arrived, Levy bounded out of her seat at the table where she was playing cards with two older couples.

"What happened?" She demanded.

The story unfolded for her and she was just as shocked as they had been at the strange turn of events. The group stayed for another week, helping the town rebuild the few places that had been destroyed during the very short fight. They were home again a week after that and giving Makarov a full accounting of what had happened.

"You did the right thing," the guild master said. "Letting the dragon have him. It was his job to make sure the slayer he trained used his gifts wisely, and since he did not, it was up to him to see the punishment. As much as I dislike the idea of that being his death, it indeed fits the crime. Now then, a party! The danger has passed and Evergreen and Elfman are good as new!"

Everyone who had gathered around to hear the story cheered and preparations were made for a big night. Mira had Laxus helping her in the kitchen, little Aria on her back in a baby bundle wrap. The infant watching with avid curiosity and loud babbling. Cana set up a table to read fortunes, while Jet decorated in a flash.

Soon enough the party was in full swing, everyone drinking, eating, laughing. Celebrating the defeat of a bad man and the health of the guild members, there was even dancing. It was after one such song that Natsu dragged a flushed Lucy outside into the cool night air. They stood under the Fairy Tail sign and looked out over Magnolia, all lit up.

"I still can't get over how beautiful this place is, after so many years of wishing it could be my home, it finally is." Lucy said, smiling over at Natsu.

He returned the smile and pulled her in for a deep kiss, letting it linger for long minutes. When he drew away, his fingers found their way to stray pieces of her hair, tucking them behind her ears.

"What would I have done without you Luce? I can't even remember a time before you got here." He pulled her head down to cradle it on his chest, arms wrapping around her shoulders.

Lucy's arms mimicked his, linking around his back as she stepped closer to his embrace. "It does seem like I've been here forever, but it's only been... almost a year?"

"Well however long it's been, I hope you stick around forever." He kissed the top of her head.

"I already told you I was." Lucy smiled.

"No, I mean... with me." He pulled back and looked into her eyes. "Luce, I can't imagine life without you, I don't want to. I love you more than I ever thought I could love anyone. You make every day better, just by being beside me. Lucy..." He pulled away completely and reached into his vest while he bent down on one knee. The small velvet box opened to reveal a diamond ring in the center, two smaller ones on each side of a larger middle one. "Will you marry me?"

Lucy had started crying the second he started to speak, and now she couldn't stop smiling, or laughing as she dropped down to her knees, her lips meeting his in a furious, excited kiss. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight as she whispered. "Yes."

* * *

There it is! The final chapter! I really hope you enjoyed it and I wrapped everything up nicely for you. If I forgot something, I am extremely sorry and please tell me in a review! I will be posting again in a few days with just the replies to the reviews made.

Thank you again, to each and every one of you for reading my story. I am really just so grateful. I'm going to take a month or so off just to get my next fic together and write a few chapters so I'm hopefully not late as I have been the past month or so. Please please review and tell me what you thought of my story!

Thank you to all who reviewed!

 **Dark Mystique** : Thank you! I didn't want to go overboard, they're in love and it's the first time for both of them being together, being crude or graphic just didn't seem to fit.

 **Ayano the Daydreamer** : I'm so glad you liked it and I'm blushing that you'll read it over and over! Thank you for the good luck, it's going to be a challenge to live up to the popularity this one has gained. I was no expecting that at all.

 **HolyChihuahua** : I actually got a lot freakin' worse. I was in bed for two days straight and just slept. That never happens with me. I'm feeling better now though. I just feel guilty still that I'm late AGAIN and on the last chapter too! I'm glad you liked the lemon! I was a bit... worried on how it would be taken. I feel better now though lol

 **Crimsonlink310** : HA! No it got even worse! But I'm feeling better now and I don't have it for the 6 weeks I've heard some other people where I live have had it. Whenever I made a decision in this fic I always thought of you and how you're looking for realism and you even count the days when I say "Two days later, then five after that." It makes me strive to really think about what I'm writing, and because of that I arrived at a very probable six months rather than two weeks. Which I don't think I would have done anyway. I'm glad you enjoyed the lemon, I'm glad everyone enjoyed the lemon, it makes me happy. Because they're in love, it had to be sweet, it had to be full of feeling. Natsu is always worried about Lucy, and because of that, it just seemed natural for him to ask for her permission before continuing. I had a plan for those berries from the start, I'm a sneaky one. I hope you enjoyed the conclusion to my story, I can't wait to post Levy and Gajeel's.

 **CrimsonLightKey** : I'm really glad you liked this story, and everything in this last chapter. Unfortunately there will be no beastie sex scene, I didn't feel like there was a place to just... plop one in. Just know... it happens ;)

 **UnlimitedMagic** : I liked the eye colour idea too! Red and topaz is just creepy cool. I had heard the theory about Lucy being the author of it or telling a story from the future, but honestly I just take it as it is in the moment and live there. This concept is one I've thought of for a long time because I often wish I could go to the world of the books I read, it just felt natural for me to base my first fic on that same concept. I started writing because I wanted something original since things tend to, as you said, go in the same direction. I hope I've done that here and continue to do so in the future.

 **Abdtlf** : I did! Just finished! Did you like it?!

 **Mogar420** : Just a little lol, to write it and then have people read it? I'm all kinds of red faced!

 **Writing Pixie** : I promise next time I'll be much more graphic lol. I'm glad you got your hot fuzzies.

 **Grizzly98** : Why you laugh?! I'm glad you loved it :p

 **Angel** : I'm glad I answered all your questions and that you liked the last chapter. I hope you liked this one too! I'm sorry it was suddenly the end, I miscalculated.

 **Walkeabb00** : Review when you can, review for multiple chapters all at once, I love hearing my phone go off with reviews! I hope your life has calmed down a bit and I'm thrilled you'll be reading more of my stories in the future. I'm happy you liked the last chapter and really hope you liked this one too!

* * *

And now it's time for... LEVY AND GAJEEL PREVIEW!

Stay tuned for my next fic: Trust Issues

Levy still couldn't believe she was back home, it had been a long time since she'd laid eyes on any of her stuff. Everything all looked the same, so familiar, and yet it was like it didn't belong to her at all. However many months she had spent with Lucy in Earthland's Magnolia, she was still fuzzy on the time issue of it all, had changed her. For the better she hoped. Still there were some things Levy regretted, getting close to... him... was one of them. She should never have opened up like she did, but the combination of watching her best friend get married and a lot of wine, well that was just a prime time for bad decisions. Levy hadn't even waited for him to wake up the next morning before she left and found Cana, badgering the woman until she brought her back home. Now life could get back to normal, no more made up fairy tale land, no more made up men. Just solid reality.

Levy blew out a breath and plopped down on her couch, stroking her cat as he came up to her. "Hey Lilly, I hope someone's been feeding you while I've been away. Knowing Cana she came and did it herself. I still don't know how she comes and goes between worlds like that."

The cat meowed loudly at her and so she went to open a can of food. Levy could feel his soft black body winding between her legs while waiting for her to work the can opener. After placing the food down in front of her ravenous pet, she went and listened to the... holy shit 346 messages on her answering machine. She had a lot of catching up to do. For the next few hours Levy was putting out fires and assuring everyone she was not in fact, dead, and was ready to get back to work Monday.

She had just hung up the phone when she heard the heavy rap of someone at the door. She looked down at Lilly, who looked up at her and she shrugged. "I wasn't expecting anyone."

Levy walked over to the door and opened it, she should have checked the peephole. Standing before her was a very angry looking man, redressed in a wrinkled suit.

"You think you can just leave after we sleep together without so much as a goodbye? You Levy McGarden, are not getting rid of me that easily."

Levy stared opened mouthed at Gajeel Redfox, the very last person she had ever expected to see again.


	17. Last Chapter Review Replies

Ok so I'm finally writing the replies to the final chapter's reviews! Sorry it took me so long but I wanted to give people a chance. Anyway here you go!

 **CrimsonLink310** : I passed 200 now lol 201! Whoo! No one caught my joke with Alphonse, real name is Erik. Alphonse Erik... Alphonse Elric... Ya I know it was reaching but there it is lol. I'm glad you liked the ending to the story and I'm so grateful to you for coming along with me for the journey, you're the only one who's been here from day one and consistently reviewing. I am so happy that you did, you reminded me about so many things I needed to think of and to add parts that made it better I think. I hope I live up to this fic in my next one, I'm working on it but I'm having a bit of block on how to go about it all. I may just msg you for a brainstorm if that's alright. Anyway, see you next time!

 **UserM24** : I'm glad you enjoyed my lemony part, as I kept saying it was... interesting to write for people. Yes there will be some, actually more in the next fic. So... yay Gajevy! Making the bad guy Erik wasn't exactly my first theory but someone mentioned it and I liked it. I kept it as a surprise just because I could, I hope it wasn't too much of a stretch. I adore writing about the dragons, imagining their voices and their powers and just all the strength and badassary they'd have. I'm so glad you could picture him and that you liked the fight scene. Personally I think I'm absolutely horrible at it so I try not to do too many lol. The Levy and Gajeel fic I planned from the beginning to do as a parallel story to this one. It'll go back to some of the times they were alone and explain things, give details where I didn't with this one. I'm working on it, I might ask you for some opinions too. You and Crimson are the most detailed reviewers!

 **Sarara1.8** : Yay! I'm glad you liked it! Be sure to check out my next fic!

 **LazyApples** : I had a ball reading all your reviews since they came one right after the other, I wanted to wait and write out the responses to the final reviews until you had finished the fic, now that you have I can go ahead lol. They made me smile and laugh and honestly I'm thrilled you liked it and I hope you like the next one I do!

 **Tothesky1994** : I'm so glad you liked my fic! Yes Gajeel was in Levy's world for the preview, but how it gets to that point you'll have to wait and see! As for how Cana created that world... It will be explained... later hehehe.

 **Guest** : We'll see, I must have some secrets!

 **Dark Shining Light** : Thank you for reading it! I am so glad you enjoyed it!

 **HolyChihuahua** : I'm FINALLY better! I'm so happy you started reviewing, it's so special to me that some people just keep reviewing over and over again. I'm glad you loved this story and I can't wait for you and everyone else to read the next one!

 **Stormborn Dragneel** : I tried very hard to make it all realistic, I get annoyed when it's been like three days and they're already in love. Relationships take time to build and I'm glad you feel I accomplished that well. I'm also a little giggly that you read it all in one sitting, that I captured your attention that much. It makes me feel wonderful as an author. I hope you stick around for my second installment with Levy and Gajeel :)

 **Loonycrone** : I know that's the one thing I wish I had done a little bit more into was the Alphonse/Erik part, but alas, what's done is done and I'm glad you enjoyed it anyway! See you next time!

Oh and guys... I've decided to write the Dragon Slayer series of books after Gajeel and Levy's story. I hope that excites some people.

Thank you once again to EVERYONE who read my story and a big 3 to everyone who reviewed! I miss you guys already and hopefully soon I'll have something new for you :)

Until then,

Lilith Mey


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